WA Road Trip

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WA Road Trip Traveler
Day 51 Kununurra
June 3, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Today was our last day in Kununurra so we decided to take it easy and relax.
The first thing we did was return back to Lake Argyle. In Lake Argyle we stopped by the Lake Argyle caravan park cafe to have a snack and visit the infinity pool. Next we drove back to where we were the other day on the tour at the dam wall.
After we had finished in Lake Argyle we went back to the caravan park to relax for the afternoon.
Later on we went on a bike ride down to the marina. Along the way we went boab nut hunting for Ryley's new hobby, boab nut carving.
After the ride we had our showers and got ready for bed. Tomorrow we will be leaving Western Australia to go into the Northern Territory.Read more
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Day 52 Northern Territory
June 4, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
We left Western Australia and are now in the Northern Territory.
In the morning we packed up from our caravan park in Kununurra. On our way out of town we stopped by a small store selling bulk packs of lollies. Dad bought a 1.3 kilo bag of red frogs and I bought a box of 200 'bulls balls' which I intend to share with my friends back home.
After we had finished our shopping we drove out towards the Northern Territory border. We stopped for lunch in a free camp. We had frankfurts and fruit. The next stop was for a short hike to a lookout called 'the Escarpment' at Victoria River.
While driving to the next stop we spotted some wild donkeys on the side of the road and also a dead pig.
Finally we arrived at a free camp called Vince Connolly Limestone Creek, about 50 kilometres out of Katherine. Tomorrow we will be heading north again.Read more
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Day 53 Douglas Daly
June 5, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
In the morning we had a quick look around Katherine before heading off towards Douglas Daly.
In Katherine we stopped by the visitor information centre and the shopping centre for supplies.
After Katherine we drove to Douglas Daly, where we stopped at the Douglas hot springs.
In the the free camp we relaxed in the hot springs which were very hot. There was not much water in the river but enough for a soak. You can wander around and find your own space and choose from super hot to refreshingly cool. The water was bubbling out of the ground at about 68`C... that was a bit too hot.
We met some kids from Newcastle NSW and spent the evening playing with them.
Tomorrow we will be heading towards Darwin stopping at a national park along the way.Read more
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Day 54 Litchfield National Park
June 6, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
On the way to Litchfield National Park we visited a museum in Bachelor. In the museum we learnt about the bombing of Darwin, uranium mining and life growing up in a Bachelor area.
Next we drove off to the Litchfield National Park. First we parked the caravan in a free camp, then headed off to the Florence Falls, which was a huge natural plunge pool with two magnificent waterfalls pouring into it. At the Florence Falls we all jumped in the water which was extremely cold, we also swam with lots of little fish.
Afterwards we drove down to the Buley Rock Holes which was like natures' water park... a series of small rock pools connected by little waterfalls. Deep, clear and beautiful.
We then returned back to the free camp where we had dinner and watched a movie.Read more
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Day 55 Darwin
June 7, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
First thing we did today was have a swim and a walk around Wangi Falls which were extremely cold. While we were on the walk we spotted lots of different animals including golden orb spiders, bats, butterflies, water goannas and lots of orange-footed scrub fowl. It was a different way to start the day.
We then packed up the caravan and drove up to Darwin. We set up in a caravan park called Free Spirit, the same caravan park we stayed in when we were in Darwin 2 years ago on our last trip. We then headed over to the pool to go for a short swim and later relaxed by the pool with a mocktail. We later returned back to the pool for dinner and another splash in the pool.
Tomorrow we're going to run some errands and maybe visit some of the local water parks.Read more
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Day 56 Darwin
June 8, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
The first thing we did today was go to Kmart to print out some photos for Jessica and Ryley's travel journals. We also bought some swimming goggles for myself and Ryley.
After shopping we returned to the caravan park to get our bathers on for one of the Darwin water parks. The Leanyer Recreation Park had three giant water slides, a ginormous pool, and a splash park.
After the waterpark we drove off to a market. We didn't find anything interesting in the market so we just returned back to the caravan park.
Tomorrow we will be going to a Greek festival and a sunset market.Read more
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Day 57 Darwin
June 9, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
We started the day by driving to a Greek festival. There was lots of different food like: fresh calamari, octopus, chicken and lamb souvlaki as well as slushies and milkshakes. There was also a stage in the middle of the festival where they played music and had traditional dancing.
After the festival we drove up to Stokes Wharf, to the Royal Flying Doctors Service Visitor Centre. Inside we learnt about the bombing of Darwin and the Royal Flying Doctors Service. There was a virtual reality mini show, two 3D movies with holograms and a real Royal Flying Doctors Service plane that we could play in. One of the displays had a window of 1942 and an aerial view of the bombing of Darwin Harbour that came to life showing the bombing and aircraft fire from the first raid.
After the visitor centre we visited a camping, hunting, and military store called 'Mitchells'. We saw hunting knives, crossbows, bows and arrows, military equipment including helmets and masks and camping gear. Ryley bought a tank drivers helmet with goggles and spent every cent of his pocket money.
Next we returned back to the caravan park for a splash in the pool and to give Ryley and Dad a haircut.
Later in the afternoon we drove out to the Mindil Beach Sunset Market. Tomorrow we will go for a bike ride around Darwin and maybe visit the Darwin wave pool.Read more
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Day 58 Darwin
June 10, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Today was our last day in Darwin and, seeing that we've been here twice we couldn't find much else to do.
We went to a museum called the Museum of Northern Territory. It had lots of animal exhibits and an exhibit about life in the Northern Territory called 'Unruly Days, Territory Life 1911 – 1921'. There were also lots of boat displays, and a 'Between the Moon and the Stars' exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing by NASA’s Apollo 11. This exhibit educated us about the moon and the effect the lunar phases have on animals. We also learnt all about cyclone Tracy.
After the museum we drove down to the wave pool in the middle of the city. We were disappointed when we arrived seeing that the wave pool was shut. So, instead of swimming in the wave pool, we returned back to the Leanyer Recreation Park that we swam at yesterday.
After swimming we returned back to the caravan park to relax. At around 6:00pm we drove off to the Darwin ski club to catch up with some of Mum's friends for dinner.
Tomorrow we are leaving Darwin and starting on our way home to Melbourne.Read more
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Day 59 Katherine
June 11, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
It was another mostly driving day today from Darwin down to Katherine.
After we packed up the caravan we drove out to a tyre store to buy a new tyre for the caravan. Next we stopped by a bank so Mum and Dad could pay for a property that we had bought in Dromana.
Along the way to Katherine we stopped at a roadhouse for lunch. Unfortunately there was a lot of ants.
Once we arrived in Katherine we booked into a caravan park then headed off to the Katherine hot springs.
After we had finished in the hot springs we drove back to the caravan park where Jessica and Ryley jumped into the pool. Tomorrow we will be exploring Katherine and its surroundings.Read more
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Day 60 Top Didj Cultural Experience
June 12, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C
To start off the day today we drove out to Edith Falls for a swim. The water was fairly cold but worth it, we saw catfish, lots of little fish and a mini waterfall.
After we had finished at Edith Falls we drove back into town to an art gallery.
At 2:30pm we arrived at the Top Didj Cultural Experience. Here we met an Aboriginal man from the Dalabon Tribe named Manual Pamkal. Manual taught us how to do professional Aboriginal art paintings using authentic bush reeds as paint brushes, Jessica painted a gecko, Ryley painted a rabbit, Dad painted a frog, Mum painted a Jabiru and I painted a bush carrot.
Manual also taught us how to light a fire using two Hibiscus sticks which is a soft wood.
We also learnt how to use a Woomera to throw a spear. I nearly hit the kangaroo after it had been wounded in the leg and tail by Jessica and Ryley and knocked on the head by Dad.
We also had the chance to hold a baby wallaby. It was an amazing experience. Tomorrow we're leaving Katherine heading towards Mataranka.Read more
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Day 61 Mataranka
June 14, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Today we drove from Katherine to Mataranka.
In Mataranka we booked into a caravan park called Little Roper's Stock Camp. It had chickens, cows, horses, buffalos, snakes, pigs, saltwater crocodiles, sugar gliders, and peacocks.
Next we drove over to Bitter Springs where we floated down the warm river looking for turtles and little fish.
After the hot springs we went back to the caravan park to get changed for dinner. We went out for dinner at the Mataranka Homestead. While we ate dinner we listened to live music by a band called the Repeat Offenders.
After dinner we watched whip cracking in a show by Nathan Whippy Griggs. He holds the Guinness World Record for the most whip cracks in one minute and also for the longest whip, which is over 100 metres long. The show was amazing. He used glow-in-the-dark whips, flammable whips and it was very entertaining to watch.
Tomorrow we will be exploring the rest of Mataranka.Read more
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Day 62 Mataranka
June 14, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Today we explored the rest of Mataranka, starting with the Elsey Homestead from the book and movie 'We Of The Never Never'.
Next we jumped into the Mataranka hot springs and soaked for a while. We built a mountain of rocks on the spring bed. We then went back to the caravan for lunch.
In the afternoon we walked over to watch the squirrel gliders get fed.
After feeding the squirrel gliders we went back to the Homestead to watch Nathan Whippy Griggs perform his whip cracking show again. While there we bought a hand-made ripstop synthetic whip for me to practice with.
Tomorrow we are leaving Mataranka, continuing further south.Read more
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Day 63 Daly Waters
June 15, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Today we left Mataranka to start on our way to Alice Springs.
We were planning on driving a bit further but decided to stay in a town called Daly Waters, (when I say 'town' I basically mean a roadhouse... the Daly Waters Pub/caravan park.) With a population of 9, the 'town' fills to capacity every day with travellers who stop for the iconic Aussie pub atmosphere, the beef & barra bbq dinners and the nightly entertainment.
After setting up we hopped in the pool which was pretty cold but relaxing, we even found some strange beatle things that live in the water.
At around 4pm we headed over to the pub to watch the entertainment and have dinner. The first part of the entertainment was the 'Pitt Family Circus'. A family of 5 performed lots of amazing stunts & tricks. After the Pitt Family Circus there was a music duo, Lou Bradley & Phil, two country singers who played guitar/banjo and entertained us for about 3 hours. While they were singing Jessica and Ryley went out to dance for a while.Read more
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Day 64 Driving
June 16, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Today we left Daly Waters to continue on our way to Alice Springs.
While packing up from the caravan park we ran into a cute fluffy cat that reminded us of Bella.
Along the way we stopped by a roadhouse that had a cool looking plane out front that we could go inside.
About after 5 to 6 hours of driving we finally arrived at a free camp near Devils Marbles called Bonny Well. I even had a go at whip cracking while there, apparently I'm a natural.Read more
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Day 65 Alice Springs
June 17, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
We finally arrived in Alice Springs after about 3 days of driving. In the morning I taught Jess how to crack a whip, and I also learnt how to make it crack louder.
Along the way to Alice Springs we stopped at the Devil's Marbles. Jessica, Ryley and I climbed to the top of the tallest rock... and I was wearing thongs.
The next stop along the way was in Wycliffe Well, the town with the most UFO sightings in Australia. In Wycliffe Well we stopped at a petrol station which had lots of alien paraphernalia.
Once we arrived in Alice Springs we booked into the same caravan park we stayed in last time, The MacDonnell Ranges BIG4 caravan park. It's a very expensive park, (the most expensive of our entire trip around Australia), but worth it. It has a huge swimming pool with a ginormous slide, it has live entertainment every night, free wifi, and lots of fun activities to do during the day. It even has a strawberry & pancakes van.Read more
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Day 66 Alice Springs
June 18, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
Today we explored the parts of Alice Springs that we skipped last time around Australia.
The first place we stopped at was the Araluen Cultural Precinct. Basically it was a big art gallery with lots of indigenous art and models.
Next we walked over to the Museum of Central Australia. Inside we learnt about animals, nature, rocks, and indigenous culture. After the museum we went shopping for some more supplies.
Back at the caravan park we hand fed Australian ringnecks, and crested pigeons. The ringnecks were my favourite.
After feeding the birds we went swimming in the freezing cold pool at the front of the caravan park. After dinner we walked down to the strawberry and ice cream van and we each bought a pancake.Read more
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Day 67 Alice Springs
June 19, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
The first thing we did today was drive over to Emily and Jessie's Gaps in the east MacDonnell ranges. At the Gaps we saw some Aboriginal rock paintings of Emu fat and three caterpillars.
Next we went to the National Transport Museum. It was huge. It had trucks, trains, tractors, motorcycles, and lots of old cars.
After the museum we returned back to the caravan park to go for another splash in the pool. It was still very cold as the temperature in Alice Springs did get down to -2` C overnight.
Before bed we walked down to watch a big slide show of pictures taken from all over Australia with live music.Read more
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Day 68 Alice Springs
June 20, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C
To start off the day today we fed the Australian Ringnecks outside.
We then went down to Simpsons gap in the West MacDonnell Ranges. The towering wall of the Simpsons Range was split by a narrow band of water. There was a pond of water that was freezing cold and we even spotted a rock wallaby.
Next we drove back into town to check out the old Telegraph Station. We learnt about the history of the Telegraph Station and the township, the lives of the early telegraphers and their families, as well as discussing the Stolen Generation history of the site. Jessica, Ryley and I also did a quiz, and at the end we all got free lollipops and icy poles.
Next we stopped by the Megafauna Museum where we saw dinosaurs, how people get bones out of the ground, the history of Alice Springs, and a giant bird called the Dromornis that looks just like the Snipe from the movie 'UP', (Kevin).
After we finished at the museum we went back to the caravan park for our last splash and slide into the pool.Read more
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Day 69 South Australia
June 21, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
Today we left Alice Springs heading towards Coober Pedy.
Along the way we stopped at a Roadhouse at Stuarts Well where there was a baby camel, two emus, a bunch of magpie geese, a guinea fowl, a baby rainbow lorikeet, a cockatoo and two dogs. The baby camel was so cute and friendly. It gave us lots of kisses as you can see in the pictures and it liked its belly scratched.
Today we also crossed the border from Northern Territory into South Australia. We found a campsite at a roadhouse in Marla. We're planning on arriving home by next weekend.Read more
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Day 70 Coober Pedy
June 22, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
Today we arrived in Coober Pedy, after about 2 days of driving. We had only driven about 3 hours this morning but by the time we arrived in Coober Pedy most of the caravan parks were fully booked out because there was a festival. We did eventually find a non powered site at the Stuart Range Outback Resort where we had stayed on our last trip. You have to pay for the showers here. It is 20c for 2 minutes and very annoying.
After setting up for two days we decided to check out the Opal festival. It had lots of little market stalls and exhibition tents.
We found one stall with air rifles and we decided to have a go. Jess went first, and the targets were very far away. After she had finished her five shots I was pretty impressed. The staff looked impressed as well. Next was Ryley. He definitely took his time and I guess all his shots hit the target but he could use a little bit more practice. Then it was my turn. I took my time and concentrated on centring the crosshairs. My first shot was a bullseye right in the middle, second was also a bullseye, third was just out of the middle circle, and forth and fifth missed the centre by literally millimetres. Once I received my target I was amazed. The staff were too. Last was Dad. He got three bullseyes. At the end we added up the scores. Dad got first with 47, I got second with 46, then Jess and Ryley.
After the festival we checked out an under ground art gallery. While there we were allowed to go 'noodling' on the floor of the gallery. We found some tiny pieces of opal that we were allowed to keep.Read more
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Day 71 Coober Pedy
June 23, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
First thing we did today was move the caravan into a powered spot, because last night, without the heater, was very cold.
After we had set up again we drove over to Tom's Working Opal Mine. At the mine we did some 'noodling', (searching for opal), and had a look around the underground mine.
After we finished at the mine it was time for lunch. For lunch we went to the the best pizzeria in town, the pizza's were ok.Read more
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Day 72 Driving
June 24, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C
Today we left Coober Pedy to continue on our way home.
It was mostly a driving day but we stopped for lunch at Glendambo and stopped in a few smaller towns along the way for petrol. In Glendambo we ran into a few friendly sheep that looked like goats. Jess also took her soft toy chicken out for a look around.
We finally settled at a small camp called Stony Creek Bush Camp & Caravan Park just outside of a town called Wilmington.Read more
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Day 73 Driving
June 25, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
First thing we did in the morning was pack up the caravan then headed to Wilmington.
In Wilmington we stopped by 4 shops. The first one was an Op shop, the second was a Toy Museum that had a private collection of toys that the owner had collected over the last 50 years. They were mostly very well maintained in their original boxes. The next shop was the Sansousi Puppet Museum. It had over 1000 puppets that the owners had collected or made. Jessica bought a hand-made Pinocchio puppet. The last shop was called 'Kool Cats vending machines'. There wasn't much there to do though.
The next town we stopped in was called Peterborough. In Peterborough we checked out a few more shops and then had lunch in an old picture theatre. It was pretty cool and the meals were huge!
While driving we had to stop at a train crossing for a super, super long train that travels all the way from Sydney to Perth. The Indian Pacific takes 76 hours to get there.
Our final destination was on the border of South Australia and New South Wales in a town called Cockburn. The town has a population of 19 residents. It features a hotel and a caravan park. They are both voluntarily run by the locals in order to keep the town alive. They even pay for their own street lighting. We finished the day by lighting a campfire and toasting the last of our marshmallows.Read more
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Day 74 Silverton
June 26, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Today we drove across the border from South Australia to New South Wales.
We checked out Broken Hill and stayed in Silverton. In Broken Hill we visited the information centre and got some more supplies.
Once we finally arrived in Silverton we booked into the Penrose Park caravan park which had lots of birds and animals.
Next we went to the Silverton School Museum. The school began from a tent in 1884 and the one-roomed stone building was completed in 1889. Dame Mary Gilmore, who is on the Australian ten dollar note, taught children at the Silverton School. There were lots of original books and old stationery dating back from 1884 to 1970 when the school was closed. It was also cool to say that all of the year level's were taught in one classroom back then.
Next we checked out a few galleries and smaller shops.
The highlight of the day was definitely the Mad Max 2 Museum. It was so interesting because Mad Max was created in Australia and was one of the most iconic movies ever made in Australia. It had all of the cars from the movie and costumes.
After the Mad Max Museum we checked out another art gallery that had donkeys at the back.
The last stop was the Silverton Hotel that has also featured in many movies.Read more
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Day 75 Victoria
June 27, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
Today we finished up in Silverton and returned back to Victoria.
It was hard to believe that Silverton, which currently has a population of 40 people, was in its peak, a mining town of more than 3,000 people.
In the morning we visited the Daydream Mine. We went on an underground tour and then a surface tour. On the tours we learnt about what life was like for the miners in the 1880s when silver was discovered in Silverton. It was pretty tough for miners, working 12 hours a day underground by candlelight. Their life expectancy was only 40 years!
After the surface tour had ended we enjoyed freshly made scones and milos.
We returned to the caravan park to retrieve the caravan and continued on our way towards Victoria.
After crossing the Murray River into Victoria we booked into the Apex River Beach Holiday Park campground in Mildura for three nights. We're planning to be home next Sunday.Read more
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