Kat Noz

Kat Noz

Living in: Melbourne, Australia Read more🇦🇺Melbourne

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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
1
Return home
September 12, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
The anticipation was growing as we reached our neighbourhood and recognised the very familiar streets and buildings. We pulled into Armstrong street and greeted our neighbour who was waving from behind her fence. Then I saw my car parked in the driveway, looking so small compared to the 200 series ☺️..

We rushed to the back gate. And there he was, the little black nose poking through, trying to get close to us. Buddy. We rushed through the house (which felt so huge!) to get to him. He knew us. All shivering from excitement, jumping, getting tangled amongst us, this wonderful dog welcomed us home. We were instantly forgiven for leaving him behind 💛. This was the most beautiful welcome. I cried and hugged my dog. The trip was over but our family has just expanded and so did our hearts. It was a mixed bag of feelings.. but love was the main one.Read more
Krásne, hneď by som k vám prišla! [Mami]
10/4/22Reply
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
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The Grampians
September 10, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
Where should we stop between here and home?? Is this even a real question? Are we really that close to home? It took some time to sink in.. our travels are coming to an end. We have so much to look forward to back at home but also so much to miss.

Let’s stop in the Grampians. Let’s see one more national park, crimson rosellas, roos and maybe even a wombat?

We stopped at Mackenzie falls car park and set out for a bit of walking. Millie was tired and stayed in the van, so we didn’t want to take too long. It was a lot of fun hopping along the muddy track to Mackenzie Falls and further on, to Fish Falls. It had been raining heavily so the falls were bursting with water - so powerful, so full of life. We even got to see a timid roo in the car park when we returned! One thing we noticed was the crowds of people, something we were no longer used to. But the gum forest was ever so familiar.. we could feel that we were back home, in Victoria.

We found a peaceful little RV place in Cavendish, on the Wannon River bank to stay for the night and the next day. Andy was keen to fossick for some smokey quartz in Mooralla, a nearby locality known to fossickers. He left in the morning and stayed out for most of the day, getting bogged, lost and dirty but content that we had tried. What he found was not yet certain but he was keen to return again.

We enjoyed some pancakes, went for a walk and then played with a ball in the basketball court nearby. This was our last day but no one spoke to much about it. We just couldn’t believe it.

Chinese for dinner followed in Hamilton, the same way we kicked off the travels with Chinese food in Portland back in Feb. A few hours driving and a wet overnighter at Pyke Creek and just under an hour’s drive to get to Sunshine in the morning. The gypsy life was truly ending.Read more
Ella ako krásna Švédka [Mami]
10/4/22Reply
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
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Barossa Valley
September 7, 2022 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 14 °C
The wind picked up in Perlubie and it was time to get moving to our next stop, the Barossa Valley, our very favourite Shiraz region.

We took an overnight break in a free camp behind a pub near Port Pirie and arrived to Tanunda in the afternoon. This time, we have decided to treat ourselves and spend 2 nights in a premium 2 bedroom cabin. Why not?

The next day was Ella’s half birthday. 11 and a half!! We celebrated with croissants and lemon cake, a few little gifts and plans for a visit to the 50s Diner for lunch and a Harry Potter movie night in the evening.

It was cold and wet but we were lucky enough to manage a walk around the rolling hills of Keiserstuhl without getting too much rain. We spotted kangaroos, saw the horse head rock and passed hundreds of sheep grazing on the bright green pastures. We then popped into Seppeltfield wines and learned a lot of interesting winemaking history. Particularly unique was the fact that they have kept their ports in barrels for over a century, keep adding a new vintage every year and open a centennial each year for a very limited sale.

We finished the outing with a late lunch at the American 50s diner, unfortunately the food wasn’t what we expected and Millie didn’t feel the best. We made up for it back in the cabin with a tasty dinner and movie night.

It was wonderful to have the spacious cabin to stretch out and feel what it’ll be like being in our house again 😁🥺. Not long now…Read more
Desigual? [Nonna]
10/4/22Reply
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
1
Perlubie
September 5, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
So, 5th of Sep marked my ‘half birthday’ which the girls are always excited about (me less so). I didn’t want any fuss, just a lovely day together. And this was exactly what awaited.

We parked up in the sand right on the beach, with only two neighbours far away from us, overlooking the glassy water. Andy got my SUP and his kayak ready, while the girls dug in the sand, getting our giant fire pit ready for the evening. I wouldn’t have imagined that we again can have a warm enough day, wear a tee shirt and go in the water. It was a bliss.

We wondered around the coastal cliffs and caves and watched the sunset, enjoyed drinks and cheese platter with fresh goodies from Margaret River, built an awesome fire pit, cooked spuds in the coals and sat at the fire, while listening to the sound of the waves. Andy could fish again, went metal detecting (found us huge supply of tent pegs) and we all recovered from the recent long drives.

What a stop, all boxes ticked off and probably even better in the shoulder season without the hundreds of people around. And did I mention the beautiful spring wildflowers?Read more
Exciting!! [Nonna]
9/8/22Reply
Krásna Millie [Nonna]
10/4/22Reply
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
Smokey & Streaky Bay
September 5, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
It was refreshing to be on the coast and smell that salty air again. Andy and Millie gave fishing another go at Ceduna and Smokey Bay jetties and we wandered around with Ella. We pulled into Streaky Bay discovery park just before sunset.

We had some extra time at hand and local weather forecast was wonderful, 24 degrees and sunny! We decided to spend this time at Perlubie - and finally check out what everyone had been talking about in the summer months and tick camping right on the beach off Millie’s bucket list.Read more
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
Norseman and the Nullabor
September 3, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
We took the very last park at Norseman RV ground late at night and crashed. When we looked outside in the morning, only one other van was still parked - it appeared that no one wanted to hang around there for long?

Andy excitedly set off to explore a few areas on the outskirts of town in search for the dendritic opal, a rock he had read about in his spare time, only mapped to be found in the Norseman area. We allowed 2 nights for here, to make sure he can find a s or eVisa sample. It wasn’t even midday when he phoned to say he found a whole heap of them! He was wrapped.

We walked around the town with the girls, not really finding anything interesting, and discussing how we would surprise Andy on Father’s Day while on the remote Nullarbor. Got a cake in the IGA, which we hid in their girls’ cupboard, a few other food supplies, and when Andy got back, we decided to hit the road early that afternoon.

Another late night found us past Caiguna Roadhouse, in a spacious free camp tucked away in the shrubs far enough from the main road. In the morning we woke into strong westerly winds - the worst way to tow when heading east. Andy didn’t blink and kept us all moving all day, with only the occasional swap with me. We found night traffic to be more intense, as the huge road train rolled down the highway while we sat on 80km/hr. We both kept our eyes glued on the road and had the occasional check in on the CB radio, while the girls absolutely loved chilling on their night drive.

When parking up for the second night, we couldn’t believe we were only an 3 hours out of Ceduna - the last stop on the Nullarbor! We did over a 1000kms, crossed the SA border and I managed to knock off my headache.

We all had a sleep in and when Andy went for some metal detecting in the morning, the girls prepared the Father’s Day celebration. Andy was so surprised. He had no idea it was coming 😌.

The diesel price dropped from $2.99 in Nullarbor Roadhouse to $2.09 just about a hundred kms down the road, so crazy. But we had already roped up and couldn’t care, the long drive was over and the sun was out. Streaky Bay was calling - and for one more time, the beach.Read more
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
Stirling Range NP
September 1, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
We knew that we should get onto the Nullarbor and get that part of the trip whipped out so we can then take it easy through SA, where there was so much to continue exploring. But when I saw a few photos of the Stirling Range in one of the visitor booklets I had this strong pulling to see it. Andy agreed although he was definitely more interested in getting to Norseman (and finding some very unique opals!).

We got to Stirling Range Retreat and got some housekeeping done. While potting around, dozens of themed cars arrived for a jolly lunch meet up on their way to Albany. They were all part of the WA Variety Bash (children a charity)!! We had the best atmosphere and even ran into the Blues Brothers at the Bluff Knoll carpark (such cool dudes, the girls even got pressies from them).

The actual walk started gently but soon turned into more uphill steps, separated by tracks with open rocky edges. Although the views were gorgeous, they didn’t impress the girls much as tired halfway through. Andy was also uncomfortable - heights are just not his thing and he worried about the girls tripping over while wary. With about a km to go he turned back with Millie, while I continued up with Ella, who was keen to make it to the finish.

As we reached the last few hundred meters from the summit, a dark cloud covered us and suddenly we were freezing. Ella was a little trooper and kept going strong, while we chatted and laughed. We reached the summit together and I took in the mysterious views of the cloudy scenery from above. It was a special moment I will have stored in my memory for a long time.Read more
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
Nannup to Denmark
August 30, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
After saying goodbye to our friends, we relocated further south and it sounded like a good idea to pull up near a sweet little country town, Nannup . We enjoyed a quiet bush camp, seeing the first karri trees and having a camp fire again. The weekend just passed was Nannup’s annual tulip festival, with 25000 tulips displayed around town to celebrate the 25th anniversary. We were impressed with the kms of walking/ biking trails, great fresh produce and great coffee.

After a bit of fossicking and walking we hit the road early afternoon and set up camp on Ruth and Brian’s property just outside Denmark. We loved the serenity of the farm and falling asleep to the colourful frog songs. Andy fixed up the headlights and we were ready to get on some night drives.

On the way out, we stopped at Monkey Rock winery/ cider - a definitely worthwhile stop. We stayed a while tasting a variety of ciders and wines, all vegan and chemical free; and also enjoyed the cool farm animals on the property 😛.Read more
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
Porongurup NP
August 30, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Granite Skywalk, Castle Rock

We made it to the Porongurup NP and hiked up to the Granite skywalk late afternoon to see the 360 degree views of the magnificent trees and greenery. Andy fought his fears of heights climbing up the ladders and wobbly rocks to get to the top with us - and it was well worth it ! The way back down was quicker and the girls were chirping away with excitement; we even spotted a few kangaroos munching away in the bushes.

At sunset we set in a free camp right besides a huge canola field - with a gorgeous silhouette of the Stirling Ranges. A big day with lots memories, and more yet to come when we attempt to climb the tallest peak of the ranges the next day.Read more
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
Margaret River outing
August 26, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Here is a collection of pics from our day out and about Margaret River. What a gorgeous day it was!
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
Busselton region
August 23, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
We had yet another farewell dinner with Mon & Kaine with quite a few wines, a late check out from Woodlands the next day and camp set up in the outskirts of Bunbury - at Belvidere bush camp, in the dark. Here the forest met the sea on one side and an estuary on other. We spotted lots of roos, ring necks and watched a big personality kookaburra perform.

The next 4 nights we spent in Busselton. Ben, Kaitlyn and the kiddos arrived the day after us and we explored the area together. We had fun teaching them canasta, tasting local mead, gin, chocolate and cheese; running around a house of visual illusions and kids playing with shells, rocks and ducks and enjoying the indoor heated swimming pool. It was hard to part when we had to head separate ways.Read more
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Swan Valley Cuddly Animal farm
August 19, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
See previous footprint
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
Perth and Fremantle
August 19, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
We stayed in Big4 Midland for 5 nights.

The first 2 were the rainiest, windiest and coldest we had on our travels. The girls read hundreds of Harry Potter pages and we caught up on some shopping. Andy visited his mate, the owner of another Muay Thai gym. It was refreshing.

When the sunny days returned we ventured outdoors and enjoyed the nearby Swan Valley. What a gem! So many wineries, cideries, distilleries, meaderies; fresh produce, coffee roasters and huge pastures with grazing farm animals. But for the girls, Swan Valley will be remembered for the Cuddly Animal Farm! SEE NEXT FOOTPRINT

We also checked out the awesome Gravity Discovery Centre in Gingin, where we booked for a night tour of the star filled skies and looked through several impressive telescopes. We also climbed up and had some fun experimenting on the Gravity Tower . The astrophysicist guides were extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the space and we learned a whole heap about our sun, super novas and and how some are predicted to turn into massive diamonds; the Milky Way and other far away galaxies, the crazy amount of lightyears to look back to and of course, the unimaginable googolplex. It was 8 degrees and we were absolutely freezing but lasted till the very end to look through the largest of the telescopes to see the Saturn in its full beauty. It was mind blowing. Saturn was just like a glow in the dark sticker Millie has in her bedroom, so bright and beautiful, hardly believable to be real.

The next day we relocated and parked up in our friends driveway (Ben & Kaitlyn from Melbourne); later Andy hung out with Ben and some others at a fight show and had a great night out. We then moved to a park south of Fremantle where we one more time enjoyed the company of Mon and Kaine (& fam). On Sunday afternoon we caught up with Mici, my high school friend and her lovely family, which was super special!Read more
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
Cervantes & the Pinnacles
August 15, 2022 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
Ready to make our way to the big smoke, we headed south stopping in Lancelin for a bit of fishing and lunch from the infamous Lobster Shack. Andy and Millie were lucky enough to spot a young sea lion cub hunting for fish near the jetty, while I went around town for a walk with Ella. We then stopped at the Pinnacles but unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to look around for very long. The park was closing and the clouds thickened but this also made it a bit more fun for us and we ran amongst the fantastical shapes talking about what they reminded us of. The mustard yellow colour and dark grey clouds made us feel like we were on a different planet! Such a unique and interesting place, I’d like to go back one day.

We hit Perth at dark, stopping for some suburban Thai food (missed the flavours!), feeling strange about being under the bright street lights, noise and traffic again. A quick set up in Big4 Midland and a late bedtime, without much of a plan for the coming days.Read more
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Sandy Cape rainbow
August 14, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Refer previous footprint
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
Geraldton to Jurien Bay
August 12, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Arrived to Geraldton and set up quickly enough before the sun set and the rain hit the roof. It was nice to be in the city again and finally get a reliable jockey wheel. Funny how things like this made us feel so happy!

We were fortunate to have mainly sunny three days, which allowed us to enjoy walks in the city, eating in the park (how good was the cream and custard filled bee sting!), long run along the surf beaches and playing on the jumping pillow. I had a great Balinese massage, Andy went night-fishing with Millie (via the KFC drive through 😋) and we also caught up with Mon and Paul in our van park (Toby their dog had to have emergency surgery after breaking off his lead in Monkey Mia 🫣). On the way out, as the rainy day activity, we dropped into to the museum and absolutely loved it - we learned about the history of shipwrecks, pre-colonisation era and early settlers; and saw a good amount of spider displays to be totally freaked out.

We arrived to Sandy Cape recreational park just as the rain eased and we set up amongst the sand dunes. We were absolutely blown away by the skies - the stormy clouds, evening sun and a massive rainbow appeared over our caravan and extended across the entire horizon. In complete awe we watched the rainbow slowly fade as we drove to Juried Bay. I’ll never forget this sight. (PICS NXT FOOTPRINT).

At the beach camp Millie found herself a pet, a little tail-less gecko (Greg) which made it a highlight for the stop. The girls looked after Greg very lovingly and we’re sad when he found his way back in the bush.Read more
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Kalbarri - around town
August 9, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
A few extra pictures from the five nights we spent in Kalbarri and the region.
Krásne, divoké a všetky obrázky sú úžasné! [Nonna]
8/12/22Reply
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
Kalbarri NP - abseiling & horse riding
August 8, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Millie and I booked in for an abseiling morning and were very lucky to have Col, the instructor, all to ourselves as no one else booked. From the Z bend lookout we hiked down to the rock walls, while Col pointed to a few wild flowers unique to Kalbarri which were just in bloom. We felt comfortable with him from the start, Millie shared a few of our travel stories and when he managed to get a few words in, he explained how abseiling worked.

We got our gear on and tested a descent on a 4m wall. I just knew that my Mills on Wheels (as Col named her) was a natural. She mastered both the 25m and 35m walls beautifully and we had quite a few goes, enjoying the scenery and views from up high. We even spotted a black flanked rock wallaby, checking us out quietly from the opposite rocks! It was a great day out.

To add to our list of adventures, we booked a night at the Big River Ranch and the girls went horse riding. The weather was not great in the afternoon so they had to wait until the morning and this made them appreciate it even more when they finally got on their beautiful horses, Pasty and Baz. After 1.5hrs of small group trail riding they returned full of smiles, excited and wanting to have their own horses, of course. The sun was out again and it was time for us to get moving - Geraldton way!Read more
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
Kalbarri NP - Nature’s Window & the Loop
August 7, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
The main reason to visit Kalbarri was to see the national park and it’s iconic attractions- the Skywalk & the Nature’s Window. We packed some snacks, sandwiches and got our hiking boots on, ready to explore.

First we visited the Skywalk, which made Andy feel a bit uneasy - the overhanging platform was pretty impressive! Then we hiked down to Nature’s Window and took some photos, lucky it wasn’t too busy and we could enjoy taking in the views. This is where the 8km loop trail started, and for us it was 12.30pm (while in the hotter months we’d need to be there by 7am!). It took us 3.5 hrs to complete, tracing the cliffs at the start, then walking along the river and around the gorge back up on a sandy path.

This was by far the most enjoyable walk for us - not only for the wonderful scenery but for the fact that the girls didn’t complain, they just kept walking and observing the nature’s wonders around them. Little travel troopers!Read more
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Sunshine Gypsies Kat Noz
Shark Bay cont’d
August 4, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Visiting the Aquarium was a great choice, we not only learned heaps about sharks and other ocean wildlife but also enjoyed a feast at the Aquarium cafe - eating out became a treat!

The last night at Shark Bay was at the shire-run Whalebone campground and after a few cloudy days, we woke up to a gorgeous sunshine. I went for a run, then we packed up and headed for our next adventure, very excited to get to Kalbarri. We stopped at the Shell beach, which was really incredible - made up entirely from billions of cockle shells, which now is a fully protected area.Read more
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Francois Peron NP, Shark Bay
August 2, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
We comfortably arrived to Denham and indulged in our fresh veg and meat bbq at the Seaside CP, getting through some washing and playing on the inflatable pillow. We then spent the following two nights at Francois Peron NP and parked up at the Big Lagoon beach camp. Given all the rain, wind and wet sandy tracks into the park, we were the only ones at the camp! It then filled over the next day.. This was our very first full day without seeing the sun. It felt strange.

The following day we took the 4WD track through the NP, navigating the potholes and bumpy sand. It reminded us of the Gibb. But it was more fun for me as the driver! We stopped at Gregory’s and Andy straight away caught two whiting and three brim! I enjoyed a walk in black and white sand, climbing through some sharp rocks and admiring interesting cloud formations. We didn’t make it to the tip as originally planned as no one was keen to get shaken up any more.

Returning to Denham the next day we stopped at Peron Homestead for a dip in a 40 degree hot artisan tub. It was the best, so relaxing (especially for me and Andy, the girls found the water too hot). Then we tossed whether to take a trip to Monkey Mia for dolphin feeding. We eventually decided to miss it - save a bit if $$, time and see the sharks at the Ocean Aquarium instead the following day.Read more
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Carnarvon
July 30, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
As we left Exmouth, the overcast days set in. We had our first wet overnight stay at Carnarvon CP and a cooler day in town the day after. We left to check out the Fruit Loop trail, a road winding around the Gascoyne river’s plantations, full of farms offering the freshest of WA seasonal produce at their doorsteps. So impressive! Finally, after 1000s of kms we were able to buy fresh fruit n veggies! Shame we didn’t have enough storage in the van to stock up even more. We then visited the Space & Tech Museum, which was really interesting and the girls had some hands on fun. A late departure got us to Wooramel roadhouse for the night. Who would have believed we will need to worry about our solar and the van battery not sufficiently charging!Read more
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Flying a Microlight plane
July 28, 2022 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
The day before leaving Exmouth, I had a massive privilege to get up in the air and fly on a microlight. We spent two hours up there, traversing along the beaches on the gulf side, then cutting across the Cape Range gorges to the Ningaloo reef, floating above the many pretty snorkelling sites, over the 13 navy communication towers, the township and finally returning back to the hangar, completely exhilarated. We saw loads of dugongs feeding on sea grass (which are really hard to spot due to their shy nature), breaching whales having the best time frolicking in their ocean playground, huge Manta rays, heaps of sharks who don’t get touched in these waters (fishermen don’t keep them) and the best views imaginable. These pictures are just a small handful, the rest of them didn’t download and got lost forever… Luckily, I now have all the magical sights deeply engraved in my memory.

Shane, who owned the microlight, also stayed at Terry’s property with his free spirited, full time travelling family. Hope we see them in Melbourne later this year 🤞.Read more
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Terry’s property
July 27, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Terry’s property was the best. We stayed there for 6 nights, surrounded by old and new travel friends, with beach access and just 10 min out of Exmouth. Terry hosted an amazing pizza night, took the boys for a fishing overnighter on his boat, we could enjoy a communal campfire, silk performance by 12-yo Mia (Shane’s daughter from the microlight flight), we had a girls night out at Mantaray Resort and finally, we celebrated Alby’s 3rd birthday. We definitely could have stayed longer 😞 if only our travels could be open ended.Read more
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Exploring Exmouth -snorkel and the beach
July 25, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
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Humpback whales
July 22, 2022, Indian Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
If I ever want to define joy, I’ll say, look at humpback whales swimming in the ocean, 💯!
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