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Parental Leave Trip
  • Matthew Chapman
  • Laura Chapman

Parental Leave Trip

A 187-day adventure by Matthew & Laura Read more
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  • Parental Leave Trip
    114

    Bicheno and Saint Helens

    May 26, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    We left Coles Bay late as Rosie met some other children and was loving playing with them. She's got so good at chatting to random people now :)
    We then drove to Bicheno which was way more beautiful than we expected. The blow hole was really fun for the girls and really impressive even on the small swell that we had. Rosie did really well walking from there to the harbour where we planned to have lunch. When we got there some hump back whales were swimming past and there were Pelicans in the harbour. So cool to see the whales three days in a row!
    We had lunch in the Lobster Shack which has great views over the Bay so we could see the whales over lunch. The food was great there too 😋
    We then drove to St Helens where we have been for two days. The campsite is next to the estuary with cycle trails and great fishing. We've just caught and eaten our first Tasmanian black bream 😀 Laura did a yoga class today which she enjoyed and we spent the afternoon exploring some beautiful beaches. Rosie just loves running around on every new beach that we go to 😍    Read more

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    Derby and Bridport

    May 28, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We planned to drive straight to Bridport but passed a sign pointing towards an ancient rainforest walk, which we stopped and did. It was amazing, I've never seen trees growing out of tree ferns before, it looked like it hadn't changed for thousands of years!
    After spending some time here we headed on and drove into a town called Derby, which I'm ashamed to say I've never heard of as it's the mountain biking epicentre of Australia.. It was the pump track that we saw first, as Rosie's favourite thing is riding her bike on pump tracks at the moment. We grabbed some food in a nearby pizza place and I then read into the mtb trails and the bike hire options. Not long later I'd hired a bike and was riding some of the most beautiful trails of my life whilst Rosie shredded the pump track. Derby was originally a tin mining town and it was wierd seeing a lot of Cornish looking mining works so far from home. We then drove Bridport a lot later than planned but got here just in time to watch the sunset and cook some dinner 😋    Read more

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    Bridport and Cataract Gorge

    May 29, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Decided to stay in Bridport a couple of nights as the campsite was right next to some really pretty beaches.
    In the morning we visited Mermaids Beach which was 1 mile away. It was very easy to encourage Rosie to ride her bike to see it! She was so quick to get there and loved exploring the pools amongst the granite rocks.
    In the afternoon Matt fished off the rocks with Rosie at the campsite and I had a wander around Bridport with Poppy.
    I bought the girls an inflatable beach ball, which they really enjoyed playing with in the van and on the beach. Rosie and I did some 'frozen' yoga on the beach (where I made up different yoga moves to fit the story). She was really good at listening and doing the different moves.
    Matt caught a Kawahi so we cooked it on the fire for dinner. The local kids were very excited to see a big fish!
    We headed off to Launceston in the morning and took the girls to the swimming pool which had slides and waterfalls too. Poppy absolutely loves the water and doesn't mind having water on her face at all.
    Rosie started out by wanting to go on our laps for the water slides, but by the end she loved going down the slides on her own and walking through the waterfalls.
    After lunch we visited Cataract Gorge. Impressive sweeping views of the gorge and river, especially considering it's near the middle of Launceston. Rosie was very excited to go on the chair lift over the river! And we got to meet some peacocks and wallabies 😊    Read more

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    Devonport

    May 31, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    On our way to Devonport we visited Seahorse World and the Platypus House. Poppy slept through our visit to see the Platypus and Echidna but loved seeing the seahorses.
    Rosie really enjoyed both tours and I think we all learned quite a lot about these intriguing creatures! Seahorse World is actually a farm where they raise baby seahorses and sell them to pet shops and aquariums. Quite interesting to hear how they're born and grown ready to sell. The record number of babies one seahorse had was over 1000!
    We stayed right above a beach at Devonport, and it was a grassy area where the pademelons surrounded us in the evening. Walked around with the girls to see the wildlife and found a possum. Had a lovely meal and glass of wine at Mrs Jones restaurant on the waterfront.
    Rosie really wanted to chat a little boy on the table next to us. So she went with Matt to say hello.
    The next morning I did the Devonport Parkrun. Was quite pleased with my time as I haven't done a parkrun for ages! Although it was a totally flat route... It made me so happy to see Matt, Rosie and Poppy at the end cheering me on.
    We had lunch up by the lighthouse after Matt had done a run too. We're finding running is the easiest way to keep some fitness!    Read more

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    Stanley

    June 1, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    Got to Stanley around 2pm, so just enough time to go up 'The Nut'. An old volcano which had very steep sides and a grassy plateau at the top, where Shearwaters like to nest. We got the chairlift up so we could do the walk around the top. Beautiful views over Stanley which is out on a headland with estuaries on both sides. Saw a kookaburra and some pademelons at the top.
    It was a very steep hill to get down and both the girls were tired and hungry by the end!
    We did an early dinner so we could see the little penguins which nest right next to the campsite. We saw a few pairs of penguins, some hopping on the rocks and others running to their mate or quietly waiting. They're very cute!    Read more

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    Arthur River

    June 2, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    We'd heard that the Tarkine Drive was a pretty route on sealed roads via Arthur River, which went through the temperate rainforest in Tasmania, so went to check it out. Just by Arthur River was Edge of The World. A pretty beach with lots of driftwood washed up. It does feel quite remote, but the walk we did in the afternoon was even more so! After a (not very appealing) fish and chips lunch at the only food place in Arthur River, we drove to a nearby beach where you can do a walk to see aboriginal drawings in the rocks. Rosie fell asleep in the rucksack - she said she wanted to go to sleep in it, so she must have been tired! Walking on narrow sandy paths with grasses either side, both Matt and I were on the lookout for snakes.... Heard some rustling but it was just a pademelon - still made us jump though! We found the drawings on some rocks speckled with lichen. We could only make out engraved circles at first but then realised it was a drawing of a person's tummy, head, hair and mouth.
    Also found some beautiful little paua shells on a very pretty little beach.
    We got to our campsite at Arthur River in time to make a fire. Rosie was great at collecting sticks with Matt and I and Poppy was happily sitting on her blanket. Shes sitting up so well now!
    We cooked on our campervan BBQ and did some chocolate bananas on the fire afterwards. Rosie had a chat with Katherine before dinner which made her very happy. She definitely misses her friends and family. It's nice to see Rosie getting better at chatting on the phone and asking questions though.
    After dinner we had a quick walk around the campsite at dark to see if we could find any creatures. Found some pademelons but no Tasmanian Devils sadly.    Read more

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    Tarkine Drive

    June 3, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    After Arthur River we followed the Tarkine drive through some amazing habitats to various natural wonders. It was a lot of driving but well worth it!
    Within 5 minutes of leaving we'd seen wombats, wallabies and possums, which Rosie was very excited about! The highlight for me was Lake Chisholm as it felt so unspoilt and we saw our first wild platypus! Rosie did some incredible off-road biking to get to it too! The range of fungi on the rainforest walks was amazing, with colours, sizes and shapes that I've never seen before. The only negative of the drive was seeing huge amounts of logging and mining activity. Hopefully they're getting the balance right between business and nature..Read more

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    Gordon River

    June 5, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    We've done quite a few boat tours now, but the scenery on this was definitely up there with the best of them! The reflections of the forest into the river were just stunning 😄
    We also stopped on Sarah Island, which is an old penal colony. It still amazes me that the uk shipped so many convicts to such remote places. Whilst it looks beautiful now, I imagine that it must have been a tough place to be sent for hard labour..Read more

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    Lyell Pass and Lake St Clair

    June 6, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Drove part of the Lyell Pass past Queenstown, stopping at a viewpoint and a couple of forest walks on the way. The mountains around Queenstown were quite impressive, also incredible how much they'd been stripped for copper mining. The colours of the rock were beautiful though.
    Bumped into some of the people who were on the Gordon River cruise at the stops we made.
    Had lunch in the van after doing the Nelson Falls walk. Rosie happily ran the whole way, stopping occasionally when we said we needed to be quiet to look for platypus. We didn't see any sadly. She also enjoyed Matt's game of bumping trees so the drips fell on everyone!
    The girls had a nap whilst we had each had a quick walk to Franklin River a bit further along the pass. Lots of beautiful fungi, moss and lichen in the forests here. Got to Lake St Clair just in time for a walk down to the lake. It was so calm and still, the reflections were so pretty. Ate dinner at the lodge restaurant. The girls both are really well. Stopped by the jetty on the way back to see the incredibly bright stars.    Read more

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    Lake St Clair

    June 7, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    Woke up to a Kookaburra perched right in front of the van, watching us get ready for the Platypus Bay walk from our campsite at Lake St Clair. Rosie rode her bike the whole way including over some really tricky roots, up and down some big hills and down the odd step!
    We stopped at the platypus lookout to see if we could find any but still no luck. Think we were there at the wrong time of day.
    Had a snack by the lake, and enjoyed more beautiful reflections in the water. Signs nearby warned of snakes though so we were slightly on edge!
    Rosie rode the last bit by being tempted along by bites of apple.
    Got back to the lodge in time for lunch, then made our way to our next campsite in New Norfolk.    Read more

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    Last day on Tassie

    June 8, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Seems like our 3 weeks on Tassie have gone so quickly! We've really loved the serenity of the forests here, the friendly people, curious wildlife and peaceful lakes.
    We spent our last full day near Hobart at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). The architecture and location were very impressive, with big views from the 'Lawns' at the front over the river. Inside we descended 3 floors in the lift to be greeted by a huge wall of sandstone. And inside copper stairwells criss crossed from room to room. The place was a maze! To be honest I found the artwork a bit pointless and felt most of it was just trying to provoke a negative reaction which I didn't enjoy. Some pieces played with your perspective which was quite interesting, but most were quite odd. For such a beautiful building (which must have cost a lot to create) I'd hoped we'd come out knowing more about ourselves or the world, or feeling an emotion other than bemused.
    We then went to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and saw Tasmanian Devils and Kangaroos as well as other native and non native birds and mammals. The Kangaroos had been fed all morning by visitors, so were lazing on the grass until they got spooked by a tractor and stampeded to the other side of the paddock. We did the 30min tour with a keeper which was interesting. Poppy decided to try and steal the show by doing her best and loudest raspberries, she was being so cute. Bonorong rescue wildlife from across Tassie. Shame the enclosures felt quite small though. I love learning about different animals but always feel a bit sad to see them looking bored in an enclosure.
    We stayed at Richmond (not far from Hobart and the Airport) for our final night and had some delicious local red wine with dinner to celebrate our last night.
    Rosie happily chatted away to Mike and Rach on the phone after dinner and told them she loves her family and friends.
    In the morning we packed up the van and got our flight just after lunch. All went smoothly and the girls did great. Just a 3 hour flight and no time difference which is nice. Beautiful views over the coast of mainland Australia on the way.
    Feels strange to say bye to campervanning after nearly 3 months. We've really enjoyed the flexibility it gave us and travelling about with our 'home'.
    But we're all really excited to see Grandma and Grandad Chapman for next adventure from Brisbane to Cairns. Will be so lovely to have them with us :)    Read more

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    Brisbane

    June 10, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Arrived in Brisbane in the afternoon. Yvonne and Simon got to the hotel in the evening, after a long flight from Heathrow via Singapore. Matt went to say hello whilst the girls were in bed.
    In the morning we all went to meet them at their room before breakfast. Rosie was SO excited. We let her keep her nightie on as she looked very cute. She gave them both big cuddles and chatted away to them at breakfast. She hardly let Grandma out of her sight and followed her around the breakfast buffet.
    Poppy was a bit clingy to us at first and cried when she had cuddles, but it didn't take her long to be happy and show grandma and grandad her beautiful smiles.
    We went around the Brisbane Botanic Gardens in the morning before picking up our hire cars. The fruit bats in the gardens were really cool. So nice to be able to see them up close. I forgot how fluffy their brown tummies are and how big they are! Rosie rode around the park on her bike and loved showing G&G how good she is on her bike now. We had a play in the play park too whilst Matt packed up our bags.
    Headed off to the Sunshine Coast for lunch and a play on the beach before going to our hotel in Noosa. There are so many pretty and brightly coloured birds here!
    I also saw what looked like a Death Adder sunning itself next to a busy sandy path at the beach, looked very alert which scared me a bit! We've been clear to Rosie that she needs to stick to the paths since then...
    Arrived at our house at Noosa in the afternoon and took the girls to see the Pelicans on the beach before dinner. Beautiful sunset with such deep oranges and pinks. Sounds like that's just a typical sunset here 😊    Read more

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    Noosa

    June 11, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    After a quick run for me and some breakfast at the cafe, we booked a pontoon boat to take along the river at Noosa. The boat was ideal for the girls, with a big shade and large flat area for Rosie to walk about. Matt and Simon shared the steering and had to avoid quite a few sand bars and shallow areas. We stopped off at a beach and Rosie and Poppy played happily in the sand. Matt caught a bream and Rosie reeled it in.
    Then headed up the river to have a look around. Saw what looked like sea eagles flying above the river. At the other end there were some very fancy and expensive looking river front houses! Apparently Richard Branson has a house here.
    Stopped off for some lunch and did a bit more fishing. I caught another bream which we kept alive in a bucket of river water as we didn't have a cool box. Cooked the other one on the boat BBQ and had some for lunch.
    Rosie had a go at steering on the way back when we had fewer obstacles. She was so happy sitting with Simon and learning how to steer the boat. She said a few days after that this was one of the best things of the trip 😊
    In the afternoon we drove to the forest reserve nearby. Matt, Simon and Yvonne did the coastal walk and saw a whale jumping out of the water from a distance which made a huge splash. Then once the girls woke up we went down to the beach for an ice cream and a play. Rosie walked quite a way up the beach and Poppy enjoyed sitting in the castle that we made.    Read more

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    Hervey Bay

    June 12, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Drove over to Rainbow Beach and did a short walk through the forest to see the huge sand dunes nearby. Rosie was very excited to run down them and Poppy loved sitting and playing in the sand. Beautiful views from the top of the tunes down to the sea. And cool to see how the dunes dropped off into the forest behind. Didn't want to get too close though as it looked like the sand could slip down under your feet it was so steep!
    Our place at Hervey Bay had lovely views of the sunset over the marina. We walked to the 1km long pier with Rosie riding on her bike. Got dinner up there and an ice cream for the ride home.
    The next day we went to see the river mouth where the ferry goes to Kgari island. We saw Pelicans flying over, a couple of pods of dolphins, sea eagles (we think) and a couple of turtles right next to us. Rosie was very excitedly shouting "I see them!" when we pointed out the dolphins.
    Popped over to the Botanic Gardens at Hervey Bay afterwards. Rosie rode her bike around and we watched the terrapins in the pond and they watched us too. Think they must get fed! Visited the Orchid House which had so many different interesting orchids. Rosie made friends with a little girl in the play area. She let Rosie wear her headband and Rosie was over the moon. They ran around doing hide and seek and rocking the wobbly bridge.
    Went to the beach for a play after. Rosie made a boat sandcastle with grandad and decorated it with shells whilst Poppy and I had a nap in the car. Poppy played with grandma on the beach when she woke up.
    Rosie rode her bike along the beach and all the way up and down the pier. We saw lots of people fishing and schools of little fish in the water. Pelicans sat on the lamposts near the end, waiting to steal some dinner.
    The next day Matt and I had a run together in the morning whilst the G&G looked after the girls which was really lovely. Took Rosie to Toogoom Bike Trail but the skills track was quite stony and tricky. Tried the kids trail instead but she decided she wanted to have a stick to get rid of spiders' webs instead! I kept getting spooked by butterflies appearing from the dry leaves thinking it could be a snake 🙈
    Had a nice lunch at Toogoom and a walk over the river to the beach for a play.    Read more

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    Rockhampton and Airlie Beach

    June 16, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Had a couple of days with long drives, from Hervey Bay to Rockhampton and then Rockhampton to Airlie Beach, nearly 900km in total! The girls have coped with the drives really well.
    Broke up the journey yesterday with a stop at a nice cafe in Childers, and a quick play on the beach at Tannum Sands. A guy was coming in from kiting at Tannum but sadly we didn't really have time for Matt to go out. Although I'm not sure he minded much when we saw the sign warning of rip currents, dangerous objects in the water, 'stingers' and crocodiles!
    Our motel in Rockhampton was fine but pretty basic. Finding somewhere for dinner along the main road nearby proved interesting... After finding one place shut and another opening later on, we opted for a different motel restaurant. Every one of the 6 or so white men in the pub at front of the restaurant turned to stare at us as we walked in. And Matt said one of them looked at him and laughed! Perhaps because he had Poppy in the sling? Dinner was fine, but definitely felt like a truckers stop.
    Went down to the river for breakfast in the morning. Really lovely old buildings down there and a new development on the waterside made it feel like a totally different place!
    Headed to Airlie Beach today via the Dugong Sanctuary beach (very low tide so not Dugong spotting conditions). Lunch up the road from there in a cafe which had a pond next to it with terrapins, dragonflies, fish and an eerie eel in it!
    We passed bush fires right next to the road on the way to lunch which was pretty daunting. Most of it was small areas of smouldering soil, but did see some flames and you could tell where the land had been on fire already. Luckily it didn't cause us any issues.
    We had a quick stop at the botanic gardens in Mackay where Rosie rode her bike and we had a wander and looked at the birds. Yvonne and Matt swapped cars for the last bit of the journey. Rosie enjoyed singing different songs with Grandma and made sure we listened to Farty Jingle Bells 🙈
    Got to our hotel at Airlie Beach in time to walk along the jetty and enjoy the deep orange sunset. Dinner was delicious and our room is really lovely.
    Think everyone is looking forward to getting to Hamilton Island tomorrow and relaxing there for a few days 😊    Read more

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    Hamilton Island

    June 17, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    We stayed at the Reef View Hotel in Hamilton Island for 3 nights. Was a bit dubious when we arrived as the island's resort is much bigger than I realised. Our hotel had. 19 floors - strange to see a huge hotel on such a beautiful isolated island.
    We had a great few days though. Went on a cruise which took us to Whitehaven beach one morning. A stunning beach with bright white sand and crystal blue water. Matt and I walked up to the lookout and saw some massive spiders and a huge monitor lizard. A fellow walker thought we were funny with our sticks to keep spider webs out of our faces, and told us he's never had an issue with spiders or snakes in 40yrs of bush walks.
    Rosie loved playing on the beach and made a 'lake' whilst we were gone. She also had a quick go on the paddle boards with Matt and then with me.
    Got a golf buggy one afternoon. Matt and Yvonne went for a ride and both the girls fell asleep! They went to see One Tree Hill lookout - Matt took me and the girls at sunset and the views of the island from there were really cool.
    The tide went out a long way at Catseye Beach (by our hotel), so you could walk out in shallow water for ages, watching fish and the odd stingray swim past. Matt, Simon and Yvonne went snorkeling one day and saw lots of fish and even a shovelhead shark.
    We visited the wildlife centre on the island too and saw koalas up close (very cute!) as well as a massive crocodile, some snakes and a couple of dingos.
    On our last morning Matt and Simon took Rosie on a little catamaran whilst Yvonne went paddle boarding. They said Rosie was really good on the boat, totally at ease. I went on the cat with her for a bit after and she was so happy and confident. Poppy played with grandma on the beach whilst we were out. She'd had a cold or something whilst we were at Hamilton Island, and the last day she was starting to get back to her normal happy self. She's been giving G&G some lovely cuddles recently.
    On the last evening, we had fish and chips by the marina, and were joined by sulphur-crested cockatoos, terns and bush stone curlews who wanted to share our dinner. We had an ice cream for pudding before getting the free shuttle bus back to the hotel. I walked Poppy back as I hadn't finished my giant chocolate sorbet.
    I think we all really enjoyed Hamilton Island in the end 😊    Read more

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    Mission Beach

    June 21, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    On our way to Mission Beach we drove up Castle Hill at Townsville to see the amazing views of the city. Then we visited Little Crystal Creek for a dip in the water and some lunch. The creek was really pretty, with rock slides into the water and shallow beachy bits where Rosie could paddle. Poppy wasn't too keen on the cold water though! Saw a 'yabbie' (freshwater crayfish) in the water. As well as water boatmen and pond skaters. Afterwards we went to the rainforest nearby for a walk. The trees were beautiful, and amazing to see how many plants were growing on the trees.
    Arrived at our hotel at Mission Beach just in time for dinner. Such a beautiful beach there we decided to spend the day just hanging out. In the morning Rosie collected coconuts and other bits with grandad to make a face on the beach.
    After a bit we all walked down to the end of the beach, and Rosie rode her bike.
    Saw so many tiny little balls of sand flung out from holes which made firework patterns in the sand. I guess they were made by little crabs.
    Had lunch at a lovely cafe part way back to the hotel. Made a bike track on the beach for Rosie to encourage her to ride the last bit home. We ended up adding some bumps, a dip and a berm, with coconuts to mark the start and end. Rosie made friends with some kids on the beach, the 8yr old girl was called Poppy and she took Rosie under her wing.
    In the afternoon Rosie went for a swim with Matt and Yvonne. Think the pool was a bit chilly but I'm sure she had lots of fun. Poppy came with me to the gym for a bit and was very happy rolling about on the floor and waving to herself in the mirror.
    For dinner we went to a lovely place in town and most of us had poke bowls, including Rosie and Poppy. Poppy is eating so much at the moment! Now she has 1 bottom tooth it's amazing what she can chomp through!    Read more

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    Tropical Skywalk and Herberton

    June 23, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    On our way to Port Douglas we did the Mamu Tropical Skywalk. Rosie enjoyed finding the different trees in the booklet and walked all the way to the lookout tower at the end. It was really cool to be walking on platforms up in the trees and looking down on huge tree ferns from above.
    Apparently the area was dense forest, but after a cyclone that knocked down many large trees the government decided to put in the walkway. And now people can experience the rainforest for themselves.
    After the skywalk we went to Herberton for lunch and to visit the historic village there. The historic village had a 'garage' with lots of old cars. Rosie got to sit in one, as well as ride on an old rocking horse in the 'toy shop'. There were so many old items there including washing machines (!) and steam engines. We watched an interesting film about how mining shaped the town. Had a walk over the pretty river at the village and saw lots of the old tractors before heading off to Port Douglas.    Read more

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    Barrier Reef and Kuranda Skyrail

    June 24, 2024, Great Barrier Reef ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    On our first day in Port Douglas we did an Outer Reef Cruise. It was a very touristy operation, with lots of expensive add ones you could do. We got taken to their pontoon where all the snorkeling gear was and tables etc to enjoy lunch. They had a great set up for kids and non swimmers, with an underwater observatory and a semi submarine. The semi sub in particular was great for Rosie to be able to see the coral and fish, and we even saw a couple of sea turtles. We all took it in turns to go snorkeling. I was a bit nervous as it was windy and choppy, but they made it very safe with a platform to get in from and a roped area with rest floats. Matt swam with a sea turtle when he went out which he loved. And as you got in there were huge red bass swimming by the boat.
    The next day we went by coach to Smithfield to do the Kuranda Skyrail Cableway. Picked up other passengers en route, so got to see some different beaches like Palm Cove on the way. The cable car on the way up covered over 7km. It was interesting to see the kinds of trees in the forest below changing as you went up. The rainforest tour guide pointed out a snake below the walkway, Rosie kept asking to look at it again. The basket ferns in the trees were cool, apparently snakes like living in those too.
    Near the top we had an amazing view of Barron Falls.
    At Kuranda Village we visited the Butterfly Sanctuary. They had some really big brightly coloured butterflies. Quite a few landed on Matt, and Rosie's landing pad they gave her.
    We rode the Scenic Railway back and had some fantastic views of the forest and waterfalls, although it was a little drizzly! Rosie made friends with a teenage girl on the train and gave her a picture she'd drawn when we got to our stop.    Read more

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    Crocodiles 🐊

    June 26, 2024, Great Barrier Reef ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    This was our last morning with the Chapman grandparents and Rosie was sad about the thought of saying bye to them.. To take her mind off it we hired a very small pontoon boat with the aim of finding a wild salt water Croc, which we did surprisingly easily, given we were on a fairly busy river. Rosie loves driving the boats and is getting really good at it. We then had a terrible lunch before the grandparents had to get their flight home. The girls absolutely loved having them here so we're sad to have to say goodbye. Luckily its not too long to we get home now.
    The next day we headed to the airport in Cairns but stopped at a Crocodile park on the way. Seeing big crocs up close is extremely impressive and definitely put me off going in the water when we get up to the Northern territories!
    Exploring the tropical east coast of Australia was great and we are all excited to head continue our travels on the West Coast.    Read more

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    Perth!

    June 27, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    We flew from Cairns to Perth on a Jet Star flight which easily had the least leg room of any plane we've been on! Not ideal as it was a night flight so Rosie slept on me and Poppy on Laura. We landed in the middle of the night and Rosie had no idea what was happening when we carried her off the plane. However, we were quickly checked into an airport hotel and back to bed.
    The next morning we picked up a hire car and after a quick stop at the botanical gardens, headed to see Jacky and Graham, with whom we'd be staying for a few days. They made us feel so welcome and the girls absolutely loved staying there. We day tripped to Rottnest Island which was great fun, beautiful beaches, interesting history and best of all for Rosie we're the quokkas!
    Our other cousins; Alan and Wendy kindly hosted a brunch for us on the Sunday which was great. It was really nice to be surrounded by family and the food and location were amazing too.
    Perth far surpassed our expectations with great beaches, parks everywhere, tree lined streets and lots of nature.
    After a few days enjoying Perth, we headed to Dunsborough where we are staying at Alan and Wendy's holiday apartment. It is absolutely amazing and we feel so lucky to be here. There is so much to see and do and we have seen amazing things like surfing dolphins and humpback whales. The plan is to spend a good chunk of time here to recharge our batteries before doing the Gibb River Road. We couldn't think of a better place to do this.    Read more

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    Dunsborough Part 1

    Jul 2–3, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    We've been having a great time in and around Dunsborough!
    Really enjoyed the scenic coastal walk to Castle Rock, such beautiful views of the red rocks and bush along the way. Rosie rode over some tough bits on her bike!
    There are loads of caves here, we opted to go to Lake Cave which was pretty cool. The entrance of 325 steps down into the cave was quite dramatic, and the 'floating' table formed by a column was too.
    We took a trip on the jetty train at Busselton which was good fun, and watched some dolphins playing beside us. Matt and Rosie did a bit of fishing off the pier - Matt has a new rod which can collapse so we can take it with us. And Rosie loved their playpark with a huge sinking pirate ship in it.
    We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Wise Wines on one day. And we really liked hanging out at the beach at Yallingup.
    There are so many beautiful beaches, vineyards and cool places to see here!    Read more

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    Dunsborough Part 2 🎂

    July 5, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    We visited Countrylife Farm and Matt and Rosie fell in love with the baby rabbits! We must have spent about 10mins just cuddling them. It was a cool place for the kids as Rosie got to go on the merry-go-round, the bumper cars and pedalo as well as feeding the animals. They also had a big indoor play area where Poppy happily played in the baby soft play area. Rosie made friends with an older girl and ran around with her for ages!
    The day before my birthday was very stormy. We went to the farmers market at Margaret River before doing a wine tasting at Madfish wines and a delicious lunch out. In the afternoon I had my birthday treat of sauna and facial. It was a really long sauna which gave me time to totally relax, and then managed to fall asleep during the facial!
    On my birthday I was woken up by Rosie coming into our room with a parcel of drawings she'd cut out for me. She was so proud to show me each one and sang happy birthday which was very cute. Poppy has now started to do kisses which is so sweet! She's so fun to hang out with and is just so smiley and cuddly. She's getting closer to crawling now too, but mostly likes standing up holding your hands.
    We went to Canal Rocks in the morning of my birthday, but as it was still stormy so walked the inland Cape to Cape track for a bit before our lunch at Swings and Roundabouts. The playpark was awesome there! And the pizza and pumpkin salad was delicious.
    We also visited Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse and went possum spotting in the evening. Found 3 of the small Western Ringtail Possums, which are endemic to Western Australia. Rosie was very excited!    Read more

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    Dunsborough Part 3 - Some 1sts

    July 8, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    Matt hired a surfboard so has had a couple of sessions at Point Picquet which is just up the road. The girls and I have enjoyed watching from the bank and playing some games. Rosie has got really good at tracing letters and numbers now. And Poppy has been trying to chew everything she can today... perhaps more teeth coming?
    Yesterday I went for a run along the coast path and past the MTB trail. Such beautiful scenery here. I bet it's amazing when more flowers are out too!
    Poppy had her first bike ride yesterday. Luckily Alan and Wendy have bikes here we can borrow, including a baby bike seat. She absolutely loved it and didn't stop smiling.
    Rosie and I finally had a haircut yesterday, Rosie's first one! Sad to say bye to her baby hairs but we both look less bedraggled now! We went for a swim at the local pool afterwards as it was a rainy day. Rosie did amazingly well and put her face underwater with goggles on several times. Poppy loved kicking her legs and splashing into the water off the side.
    This morning Poppy did her first bit of crawling 🎉 We were all cheering her on. Soon there will be no stopping her!
    Today was also a bit rainy so we went to a place called Wow Illusions which had things like a mirror maze. It was good fun :) Poppy was waving at everyone there!
    After that we had a yummy lunch at Fishbone Wines and then went to a biodynamic vineyard to do a quick tasting. After Matt's surf in the afternoon we went to Bunkers beach, which is a beautiful sandy beach where Matt saw dolphins surfing before. Didn't see them today sadly but Rosie and Matt had fun running about whilst I took Poppy for a walk and cuddles in the sling.    Read more

  • Parental Leave Trip
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    Bye bye Dunsborough

    July 11, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Had a lovely lunch at Meelup Farmhouse. Rosie got to cuddle some chicks they have which made her very happy! She was so gentle with them and spoke to one chick so softly to keep it calm :)
    Matt had a final surf at Bunkers whilst the girls and I played on the beach. It rained, so we hid in the cafe and admired the huge rainbow.
    We drove to Hamelin Bay to see if we could spot the rays the next day. Didn't see any sadly as the sea was still a bit rough after the storm. We had a lovely lunch and play at Hamelin Bay wines though.
    Packed and tidied up on our last morning. We had such an awesome time in Dunsborough, there's so much to do and so many beautiful places to see! Felt really at home there and loved staying in Alan and Wendy's beautiful apartment.    Read more

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