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Sunshine Gypsies
  • Kat Noz
  • Kat Noz

Sunshine Gypsies

Een 202-daags avontuur van Kat Meer informatie
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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz
    Millies lucky rod, seems to always catch fishRed Dog! We loved watching the movie.This spunk!View of Woodlide gas plant from Andys old fishing spot.

    Karratha - Point Samson & Dampier

    17 juli 2022, Australië ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    With heavy heart we left Cleaverville and went to look around Karratha a bit more. Point Samson, Honeymoon cove beach - a busy place on a Sunday but we stayed for a bit & Millie caught a bluebone!

    Then we drove into Karratha and dropped off the van at the council overflow and headed for Dampier to revisit Andy’s fave fishing spot from 2009 and sneak in a cocktail near the boat ramp. A lot has changed since 2009! The town has many new buildings and it’s grown heaps (we loved their modern swimming pool which we visited the next morning). But Woodside gas plant, where Andy used to work, is still in operation, and it is a huge site.

    We also finally got to watch the movie about the iconic Red Dog from the 1970s and learned a bit of history.    Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz

    Swimming with whale sharks - pics part 1

    22 juli 2022, Australië ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    The day has come!

    An early start, getting picked up by a minibus and transferred onto the boat, a long long journey looking for a shark on the ocean’s surface. 4 spotter planes, 12 other boats..but it didn’t seem that we’d be lucky enough. The skipper persisted, rushed through the rough waters in hope to get nearer to a distant sighting. It was windy and choppy. Millie by then was pretty sea sick, I was on the boarder line, not feeling great but doing my best to hold it together. We all had a warm up snorkel on the outer reef earlier on, which was great and we saw some beautiful coral, but also got us wearing a soaked wet suit for good three hours, freezing.

    Sitting on the upper deck behind the skipper gave us a prime spot to all the intel about how we were tracking. We were also lucky enough to see dozens of jumping humpback whales and their calves, floating turtles and sea birds, all close to the vessel. Apparently orcas have been attacking humpback calves in the past weeks near the sightings of whale sharks.. the skipper wanted to make sure we don’t get to see such sights, especially for the kids.

    Then the moment came. We were rushed to get ready. Then jumped, full of adrenaline, hearts racing. I heard the instructions to look under the water.. and, there she was, swimming right towards me, head on. In panic, I shuffled my fins to make way for the queen and this beautiful creature swam past. Andy was right next to me. We will never forget that moment of absolute awe,.

    Millie stayed on board, not feeling up for a swim, poor thing. Ella was so brave and came with us, hanging onto Lydia, our guide. She got to see the sharks tale flapping in front of her.

    We were one of the only two boats that got to see the whale shark that day. We went the furthest. And not just that - we managed to jump in four times in total and swim even more with the 9m long, as if pained, prehistoric creature.

    In my second jump I was the first one in the line and was able to swim right next to the shark, without others in my view, able to fully take in the moment. Words can’t describe what it felt like. I was in a deepest flow.

    The ride back home went fast. I was processing what had just happened. We were all on a big high. What an end of season experience.

    Andy and the girls came along with me so that we all do this together. And, it was the best thing, a memory we will treasure forever.    Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz
    Sunrise from the boat, near Muiron island
    Terry took the boys on an overnighter.Fish that they kept. Caught heaps more!Xavier Rudd. Just warming up in front if us for his quiet exmouth gig.Camp fire next to Sarah and Gregs vanWatching the whales from Vlamingh lighthouseWhalebone brewery bevies 🍺Museum & discovery centre

    Terry’s property

    27 juli 2022, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 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.Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz

    Flying a Microlight plane

    28 juli 2022, Australië ⋅ 🌙 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 🤞.    Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz

    Carnarvon

    30 juli 2022, Australië ⋅ ☁️ 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!Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz

    Francois Peron NP, Shark Bay

    2 augustus 2022, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 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.    Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz

    Shark Bay cont’d

    4 augustus 2022, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 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.Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz
    Nature's Window
    Kalbarri SkywalkCan you see the two roos? So chilled, didn't even budge when they saw us

    Kalbarri NP - Nature’s Window & the Loop

    7 augustus 2022, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 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!    Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz
    Col and Mills on wheels as he named Millie.
    A rare Kalbarri Spider Orchid, in flower for only two weejs each year!

    Kalbarri NP - abseiling & horse riding

    8 augustus 2022, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 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!    Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz

    Geraldton to Jurien Bay

    12 augustus 2022, Australië ⋅ ☀️ 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.    Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz

    Cervantes & the Pinnacles

    15 augustus 2022, Australië ⋅ 🌙 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.    Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz

    Perth and Fremantle

    19 augustus 2022, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 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!    Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz

    Busselton region

    23 augustus 2022, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 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.    Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz
    Balancing?Views from our free camp, not bad.

    Porongurup NP

    30 augustus 2022, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 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.    Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz
    Enjiying the freshly bought goodies for lunch.BFF

    Nannup to Denmark

    30 augustus 2022, Australië ⋅ ☁️ 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 😛.    Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz

    Stirling Range NP

    1 september 2022, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 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.    Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz

    Norseman and the Nullabor

    3 september 2022, Australië ⋅ ☁️ 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.    Meer informatie

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  • Kat NozSunshine GypsiesKat Noz
    Atvthiscrest stop we found wuite a few dead lizards - but untouched.. a strange cemetery.
    CedunaCeduna jettySmokey Bay jetty didnt like Millies fishing rod 🤔A memory from my morning run in Streaky Bay 💛Arriving to Perlubie and seeing the gorgeous orange flowers everywhereThe girls are planning the last bit of the trip

    Smokey & Streaky Bay

    5 september 2022, Australië ⋅ ☁️ 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.    Meer informatie

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