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Big Lap
  • Esoteric Adventures
  • Amanda Jones
  • Esoteric Adventures
  • Amanda Jones

Big Lap

One year off to travel this big sun burnt land Read more
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  • Big Lap
    Beautiful wildflowers Kalbarri NP3Wildflowers Kalbarri NPNatures window Kalbarri NPNatures windowSide view of skywalkSkywalkKalbarri Skywalk in the National ParkView from z bend lookout Kalbarri NPGreat local craft brewery - Finlay'sNatural bridgeCoastal walking track Kalbarri NP1Whale mum and her calf off coastHutt Lagoon (pink lake) Port GregoryNatural bridge Kalbarri NPCoastal Cliff walk Kalbarri NP

    Kalbarri

    Sep 16–21, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We spent a lovely five days in Kalbarri. A lovely coastal surf town.
    It’s surrounded by both an inland and coastal National Park with a spectacular skywalk and coastal cliffs.
    The surf is awesome and we loved watching the very skilled surfers in action.
    Kalbarri has a nice vibe, great bakery cafe and craft brewery.
    We did some spectacular walks along the coastal cliffs and walked to Natures Window and the Skywalk.
    The wildflowers are abundant at the moment and beautiful.
    While there we drove about 30 minutes south to see Hutt Lagoon. It’s a really stunning shade of pink. This is caused by high saline levels and microscopic algae.
    The caravan was pretty special right near Red Bluff and each site had an ensuite.
    It was a welcome change to have some more space.    Read more

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    Sandy Cape/Cervantes/Pinnacles

    Sep 23–27, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Camped off grid for four nights at Sandy Cape campground just north of Jurien Bay. Stunning spot.
    Great spot to do day trips to Jurien Bay, the Pinnacles desert and Cervantes.
    Awesome lobster lunch at The Lobster Shack in Cervantes. We bought a couple of large lobsters to have in the van with a very successful Lobster Mornay attempt for dinner one night.Read more

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    Wave Rock - Hyden (o/night Lake King)

    Sep 28–29, 2025 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    Stopped in Hyden for lunch and drove to Wave Rock. Couldn’t stay overnight as all camping was booked out. Some folk festival.
    Drove onto Lake King and stopped overnight in the Tavern caravan park.
    Not a bad little place. Some interesting locals and cool cars.    Read more

  • Big Lap
    West beachTwilight beachTwilight beachLucky BayThistle bayThistle BayFrenchman peakFrenchman peakLucky Bay BreweryEsperance foreshore walkGreat coffeeLamb navarin at Louis bistroChicken and tarragon pie at LouisWest beachPuppies love the beaches here1Lucky Bay heaving with people and cars

    Esperance

    Sep 29–Oct 4, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Esperance is all about the beaches. Stunning fine white sand and beautiful turquoise blue water. Weather is much cooler and windy.
    We did have a couple of warm days at the end.
    Dogs loved the beaches and the off leash time.
    Very relaxed place with a good brewery, nice coffee and a lovely French bistro.    Read more

  • Big Lap

    Mt Barker and Porongurup

    Oct 5–8, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    It’s been chilly here the past few days. Single digits in the morning, windy with a few showers.
    It hasn’t dampened our enthusiasm to explore.
    Most people only think of Margaret Rover for WA wines. Mt Barker is part of WA’s Great Southern Wine region and are know for Riesling and Shiraz
    We went to a few local vineyards tried and bought some lovely wines.
    We found an awesome Hipcamp on a property next to a vineyard and had the place to ourselves.
    One of our days we visited Porongurup National Park and did the Castle Rock granite skywalk. It was a really tough walk with a constant steep incline and some rock climbing at the end to make it up to the skywalk. Amazing engineering. We had to climb up and ladder to the skywalk platform. OMG the wind was ferocious and freezing at the top. I tried to capture it in a video.    Read more

  • Big Lap
    Chainsaw sculpturesChainsaw sculpturesWhaling shipProcessing deck of whaling stationOldest church in AlbanyMisery beachMisery beachThe GapNatural ArchThe gap lookout1

    Albany

    Oct 8–13, 2025 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Albany is an awesome place. It was the first town settled in WA with beautiful old buildings.
    A lot colder and windier than expected. Throw some rain in.
    We had an awesome time exploring.
    Visited the Whaling museum which was interesting. It was the last Whale processing station to operate in Australia and it closed in 1978.
    The Gap, the natural arch and the wind farm were great. The puppies came along to most of but not all sights. National parks don’t allow puppies.
    We had the best long lunch catch
    up with Sharon at The Barrel Farm. Such a good day catch up.
    I really enjoyed the vibe of Albany. Must come again.    Read more

  • Big Lap
    Off grid camp at Rockcliffe vineyard
    Beautiful birds.After dinner pool at the Denmark HotelImpressive tree top walkwayOff grid Hipcamp near PembertonSouthern Roasting Co Manjimup. Best coffeeBeedelup fallsBeedelup fallsSuspension bridgeVery wobbly suspension bridgeGorgeous spider orchid.Post bush walk beer at the Pemberton HotelVery happy Pups running freeWobbly suspension bridge

    Denmark, Pemberton and surrounds

    Oct 13–21, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We’ve slowed the pace down and have spent time relaxing as well as exploring.
    Had two really lovely campsites in Denmark. One off grid at Rockcliffe vineyard and the other a peaceful caravan park by the river. The second had some beautiful birds and a little duck family.
    Denmark is a cute little town on a river. Nice pub nice coffee and wine.
    In our journey to our Hipcamp near Pemberton we stopped at the Valley of the Giants to do the tree top walk around the tingle forest. Impressive walkway 40 metres above the ground among the tree tops.
    The next few days rained a lot and we did some drives around Pemberton and Manjimup, visited Beedelup Falls and chilled in front of some nice fires.
    The puppies loved our last camp as they could run free around the property.    Read more

  • Big Lap
    Gorgeous Chirch in Nannup
    121The water wheelThe water wheel1Jewel CaveJewel CaveJewel CaveJewel CaveJewel CaveCape Mentelle2Cape Mentelle

    Augusta

    Oct 21–25, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We spent a lovely four days in Augusta. Super small seaside town where the Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean with so much around to explore.
    It was very cold and a bit rainy.
    On the drive to Augusta we stopped in for lunch in Nannup which was very pretty, quite alternative and had cute little church and beautiful gardens.
    While in Augusta we visited Cape Leewin lighthouse at the most South Westerly point of Australia.
    Visited the water wheel which was constructed to provide water to the men who built the lighthouse.
    Had an awesome time testing wine and abalone at Subsea wines. Such a unique concept to stir and develop the wine under water. The abalone strips were pan fried in either garlic butter or chilli ginger and it was my first time to try it. I really liked it.
    We took a tour of Jewel Cave which is the largest cave in the south west. The cave has boardwalks and beautiful lighting to show the crystal formations. Stunning place and a good rainy day activity.
    Had a great tasting of Cape Mentelle wines in Margaret River.
    (Next stop five days in Margaret River)    Read more

  • Big Lap
    1Margaret River farmers market
    Freshly made pestoCool coffee truck at the marketsFabulous vineyard HipCampBest bakery in Margaret RiverDelicious cinnamon bun with caramel sauceMargaret River bakeryAmazing croissantsCBCo brewery. Only a short wal from campWalking home from the breweryPeach loved our camp....so did PabloCanal rocks boardwalk YallingupCanal rocksVasse Felix vineyardCape Natraliste lighthouse.

    Margaret River

    Oct 25–30, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Five lovely days spent enjoying all Margaret River and the surrounding area has to offer.
    We found another spectacular Hipcamp at Jarvis Estate Vineyard. This vineyard was well located and easy to drive to any where in Margaret River and they had us come for a tasting. We bought a few of their wines to have during our visit.
    We started with the Saturday farmers market to pick up some great produce for our stay.
    Vineyards we visited for tastings - Leeuwin Estate, Evan’s and Tate and Vasse Felix.
    We enjoyed the Margaret River Bakery, CBCo brewing, Margaret River Brewing and the gelato/cannoli shop.
    Did some great drives to Yallingup and Canal Rocks, Prevally Beach and Surfers point, and Cape Natraliste and the light house.
    We both loved the area and would love to come back.    Read more

  • Big Lap
    Busselton Jetty (1.8km long)
    This was a really nice cafe we had breakfast atBusselton beachShelter brewing BusseltonThe Fire Station bar and restaurant

    Busselton

    Oct 30–Nov 2, 2025 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    This was the last of our stops before we settle in Fremantle for 4-5 months.
    Busselton is beautiful when the sun is shining. Great beaches. We had a lovely time here.
    The weather was a bit patchy with cold and rain for half of it but we enjoyed ourselves.
    We did heaps of walking along the water side. Enjoyed a great Thai dinner then drinks at The Fire Station and The Pavillion.
    Busselton has taxis and Uber so we could go out and have a few drinks. First place in months.
    Dunsborough is a really cool little beach side town about 20 mins from Busselton which we took a drive around.
    Would love to come back here again. Maybe one weekend before Easter.    Read more

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    The first few weeks of Fremantle

    Nov 3–Dec 1, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    It’s been a busy first month here in Fremantle. I’ve started back at work and getting used to the office commute to Subiaco.
    Andrew has found a casual ‘holiday job’ at a local pub’s bottle shop.
    We’ve been exploring Perth, Fremantle and the surrounds. Went to Kings Park for a visit which was really nice. The park is huge and looks over the Swan River to the city. It was a hot day so we only saw a small portion of it as it was too hot for the puppies. Will visit again early in the morning.
    Had a look at the Chinese Warrior lanterns which are moving around Perth at the moment. We’ve tried a few of the local pubs and craft breweries, found an amazing pie shop in East Fremantle and taken the puppies to a few nice dog beaches. We’ve been fortunate to catch up with Andrew’s friend who live here, Sacha, Glen, Clare, Andrew and Shirley.
    Yesterday we went to Mandurah and saw couple of the famous ‘Giants of Mandurah’
    All in all we’re really enjoying our time here.    Read more

  • Big Lap

    Sunday in Fremantle

    December 7, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Awesome day exploring Fremantle. 1pm canon at the Roundhouse, yummy lunch at Bathers Beach house, cool bands at The Fremantle Buffalo Club and delicious gelato at Cho Chi.

    Loving it here so far.

  • Big Lap

    Long family weekend Freo

    Jan 22–28 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Our lovely Lucy came to visit over the last long weekend.
    We had such a nice time exploring and showing Lucy some our favourite places (ice cream places).
    Did so much over 5 days.
    Scarborough night market
    Fremantle convict prison tour
    Loads of vintage shopping
    Some great bakery visits
    Favourite restaurants - Vin Populi, La Cabana and Nonna’s
    Explored Kings park, Open air cinema at Somerville - at UWA
    Then a lovely sunny and very windy visit to Rottnest Island (Quokka Island as Andrew calls it). Very bumpy boat ride back to Freo.    Read more

  • Big Lap

    Sunday drive to York

    February 15 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Last weekend we had a lovely Sunday drive. Visited Kalamunda market, drove to Mundaring Weir and then onto the lovely little town of York. This is the oldest settlement after Fremantle and was established to provide food for Fremantle. It was the start of the wheat belt.
    Architecture is beautiful and so well restored and only one hour drive from Fremantle.    Read more

  • Big Lap

    Fremantle Sunset Cruise

    March 7 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We were so lucky to have the best conditions for the sunset cruise from Fremantle.
    It was a stunning afternoon with very mild breezes.
    We sailed on a bright yellow catamaran out from Fremantle marina. Sailing for a couple of hours along the South Fremantle coastline.
    We met some lovely people as well.    Read more

  • Big Lap

    Fremantle & Rottnest with Bev

    Mar 13–16 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Another spectacular weekend showing my dear friend Beverley Fremantle and Rottnest. It’s so nice to have visitors. Jo and Charlie a couple of weeks ago and this weekend Bev.
    We started the weekend exploring Cottesloe “Scultpures by the sea” enjoying lunch at Bathers beach and ended with a swim at the hotel pool. (Stayed at the esplanade hotel) Met Jonesy and Sascha at Darling Darling for a predinner cocktail then Dinner at Tonic & Ginger. Saturday we had a relaxing time wandering Fremantle streets. Looking at shops and the markets. We visited “Little Sister” deli and bought our picnic lunch for Sundays Rottnest visit. So yummy.
    Sunday we couldn’t have asked for better conditions. Not too hot and barely any wind. We hired e-bikes and explored the island, saw seals on the western coast and picnicked at the Basin. Finished the day off with a swim.    Read more

  • Big Lap

    Farewell Perth & Fremantle

    March 22 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    Farewell time. Lovely dinner at ‘The Local Hotel’. So nice to bring all our Perth friends together for a final dinner.
    Neat week we start the trip home. We’ll have a few weeks in Adelaide and SA before arriving home mid May.Read more

  • Big Lap
    Meckering
    MeckeringMeckeringNorsemanNorsemanNorsemanBalladoniaBalladoniaThe longest stretch of straight road. Still in SAThe last town before SA. EuclaEuclaThe first of 3 lookouts on the Great Australian BightLookout number 1 start do the Great Australian BightLookout 2 - cliffs of the Great Australian BightLookout 3 - the Bunda Cliffs - Great Australian BightNullarbor Roadhouse on the Nullarbor Plain. The longest treeless road1Overnight camp at the Madura PassAwesome free camp Madura PassAnd again the Madura Pass

    Fremantle to Ceduna

    Mar 25–29 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    The journey home heavily influenced by fuel. We left Fremantle Wednesday 25th after work. We drove 4 hours to Southern Cross (on the road to Kalgoorlie). Fuel prices didn’t disappoint. We took photos along the way. Although I forgot to take a photo of the most expensive fuel at Nullarbor Roadhouse ($4 per litre).

    We stayed overnight in Norseman and Madura the drove the Nullarbor Plain to Ceduna.

    The cliffs and the Great Australian Bight is spectacular although the flies were out of control.    Read more

    Trip end
    May 10, 2026
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