Marg n Pauls Gap Year 2017

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Day 149
Friday, May 5, 2017
☀️ 4 °C
Altitude: 542 m
Australia Flinders Ranges -31.48403, 138.6687831°29’3” S 138°40’8” E
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Flinders Ranges
May 5, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 4 °C
We spent 5 days at Upalinna Station ($15 pn) which is just 5 minutes from Wilpena Pound. We were lucky enough to be the only ones here on our first night so we were able to choose the best campsite, high on a ridgeline with fantastic views across the ranges. Quite a difficult track into the campsite but managed to get the van in due to it's high clearance. Every evening was spent around the choofer watching the sun setting over the ranges. This one would have to be one of the best spots we've had on the trip so far!

Spent many hours 4 wheel driving through Bunyeroo and Brachina gorges where we stopped to inspect ruins of old abandoned station houses, graves, lookouts, aboriginal etchings, springs etc. We really liked Hans Heysen's old hut that overlooked the beautiful ranges that now bear his name.

We also walked to the old Hills Homestead inside Wilpena Pound and continued up to Wangara lookout which offered fantastic views across the pound.

Fantastic weather while we were here although very cold at night...it got down as low as 1.8°Read more
The Shifting Spanners Heysen Range
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The Shifting Spanners Spot our van!
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The Shifting Spanners Aboriginal etchings at Arkaroo Rock
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Day 154
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
☀️ 19 °C
Altitude: 7 m
Australia Lea Memorial Oval -32.51164, 137.7859632°30’42” S 137°47’9” E
Port Augusta
May 10, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Stayed 4 nights at Port Augusta Sports Club $7 pn. Pretty ordinary camp and town to be honest. The whole place smells like rotten seaweed depending on the direction of the wind, and there's an outdoor shooting range across the road which impressed Marg no end! At least there was a dump point, water and we had use of the clubs toilets when they were open.

We used Port Augusta to get the car serviced and stock up before heading north up the Stuart Highway towards Coober Pedy. We vacuum sealed a heap of meat (using the genny), and the club froze it in their freezer for us. The meat should last at least 4 weeks in our fridges as we now leave civilization.Read more
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Day 155
Thursday, May 11, 2017
☀️ 19 °C
Altitude: 117 m
Australia Roxby Downs -31.23301, 136.4055331°13’59” S 136°24’20” E
Lake Hart
May 11, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Overnight free camp on the way up to Coober Pedy. Lake Hart is a hidden gem on the Stuart Highway. It's a salt lake that used to be mined for it's extremely high quality salt in the early 1900's. We drove through the carpark area onto the 4wd tracks that lead down to the salt lake and found a great spot where we had views over the lake.

Called in to Woomera on the way, and checked out the museum and information centre. Amazing military history associated with this place and it's defence systems testing is still ongoing.Read more
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Day 157
Saturday, May 13, 2017 at 5:15 PM
⛅ 23 °C
Altitude: 221 m
Australia Coober Pedy -29.00505, 134.7549429°0’18” S 134°45’18” E
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Coober Pedy
May 13, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
We've been noodling! Found a couple of opal chips at the public noodling area...don't think we can retire yet though.

Stayed 2 nights at Coober Pedy at the Oasis Caravan Park. We picked this park because it has 6ft barbed wire fencing and gates are locked at 10pm. Theft is pretty rife in this place and the other parks all have issues. Thankfully we had no problems during our stay.

Spent an afternoon driving through the Breakaways and continued on to the Dog Fence and Moon Plains where Pricilla Queen of the Desert and the Mad Max movies were made. We then drove back to the Breakaways and had drinks and nibbles whilst viewing the sunset. Other highlights included Umoona Mine and Museum, the Catacomb underground church, Fayes underground house, Josephine's kangaroo orphanage and the golf club.

Water is precious in Coober Pedy, and we found it interesting that they have a public water filling station in the main street, similar to a petrol bowser, where you insert a $1 coin per 30 litres of water. We used this to top up our van tank before leaving for Ayers Rock. Even the caravan park had meters in the showers...20c for 3 minutes!

Getting warmer as we head north 10 - 26°Read more
The Shifting Spanners The Breakaways
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The Shifting Spanners The Breakaways
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The Shifting Spanners Sunset over the Breakaways
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Day 160
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
☀️ 26 °C
Altitude: 501 m
Australia Yulara -25.23654, 130.9932725°14’12” S 130°59’36” E
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Ayers Rock and The Olgas
May 16, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
After much planning and great anticipation we finally met our friends Mick & Michelle at Ayers Rock Campground. They will be travelling with us for the next 6 weeks as we head north.

Had a teriffic 3 days exploring Ayers Rock and The Olgas. I did climb the rock for a short distance before my lack of appropriate footwear, and fear of heights proved my undoing. Mick continued on to the top of the rock. The climb is very steep and extremely windy as you get higher...I can't help being surprised that there has only been 37 deaths recorded on the climb. The number of people climbing Ayers Rock is decreasing over time and it is inevitable that it will be prohibited in the next few years. We enjoyed a couple of Ayers Rock sunsets watching how the fading light changed the colour of the rock...fantastic!

We also completed a 4km walk through the Valley of the Winds at The Olgas. Incredible rock formations and the view from the valley lookout was great. The Olgas are 200m higher than Ayers Rock at 546m.

Warming up...temperature 8-29°Read more
The Shifting Spanners The Olgas, taken from halfway up Ayers Rock
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The Shifting Spanners Valley of the Winds - The Olgas
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Gary CaswellHmm....I don't think that number 37 has changed too much from when I climbed it in 1988.
6/11/17Reply
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Day 163
Friday, May 19, 2017
⛅ 27 °C
Altitude: 613 m
Australia MacDonnell -24.28491, 131.5606424°17’6” S 131°33’38” E
Kings Canyon
May 19, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Drove out to Kings Canyon where we completed the Rim Walk and Garden of Eden. Fantastic hike of about 8km with a very steep initial climb, but steady going from there. The Resort was a tad expensive at $50pn so we chose to free camp at Salt Creek which proved to be a great spot complete with resident dingoes!

We stayed 2 nights here as we were a bit weary from constant driving and hiking, and really relished the downtime. Had the choofer firing both nights whilst listening to the dingoes howling. They were very tame and hung around us in the hope of being fed.

Temperature 8-26°
Diesel $1.98Read more
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Day 165
Sunday, May 21, 2017 at 2:56 PM
☀️ 25 °C
Altitude: 479 m
Australia Highway Bore -24.33879, 133.4598724°20’20” S 133°27’36” E
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Stuarts Well Roadhouse
May 21, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Called in to this famous roadhouse on the way up towards Alice Springs. This had been the site of Dinky the singing dingo for many years, but unfortunately it has seen a change of ownership. The piano and all sorts of memorabilia are still on display.

We took advantage of the free unpowered camping for 2 nights and did some 4 wheel driving out to Rainbow Valley.Read more
Alex StrambioLove the video commentary. Keep it coming!
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The Shifting Spanners Mushroom Rock @ Rainbow Valley
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The Shifting Spanners Rainbow Valley
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Day 166
Monday, May 22, 2017
☀️ 25 °C
Altitude: 586 m
Australia Hermannsburg -23.94349, 132.7764123°56’37” S 132°46’35” E
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Hermannsberg
May 22, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
We felt a bit uneasy as we drove in to the Aboriginal mission of Hermannsburg, but thankfully it turned out to be a beaut stop. We stayed 2 nights at the Hermannsburg Historical Precinct ($10pn), which had 6ft barbed wire fencing surrounding it offering some security. The precinct used to be a German Lutheran Mission - the first mission established in central Australia in 1877. It's now a tourist venture and is very interesting to wander through the 140 year old buildings.

We did some serious 4 wheel driving out to Palm Valley. This involved some soft sand and a lot of rock hopping, so we reduced our tyre pressures and had a great time. Had to exit the vehicles several times to pick our lines, guide each other over the boulders and even had to build ramps using large rocks.

Temperature 12-26°Read more
The Shifting Spanners Palm Valley
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Georgia Spanner Looks beautiful!
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Day 170
Friday, May 26, 2017 at 8:03 AM
☀️ 29 °C
Altitude: 669 m
Australia Ormiston Gorge -23.63314, 132.7266923°37’59” S 132°43’36” E
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Ormiston Gorge
May 26, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
We chose to stay at Ormiston Gorge Campground ($20 pn) for 3 nights to explore the West MacDonnell Ranges. The gorge and its freezing cold water is like an oasis in this outback environment. The campground had hot showers, toilets and there was even a kiosk at the gorge.

We explored the West MacDonnell Ranges including Glen Helen Resort, The Ochre Pits, Serpentine Gorge, and Ellery Creek Big Hole. We're all a bit weary from the numerous hikes we've done, but we've accessed some amazing lookouts, gorges, ridges and ranges.

Warm during the day...12-29°Read more
The Shifting Spanners Ellery Creek Big Hole
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The Shifting Spanners The Ochre Pits
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The Shifting Spanners Ormiston Gorge
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Day 172
Sunday, May 28, 2017
⛅ 14 °C
Altitude: 390 m
Australia Devils Marbles -20.56815, 134.263920°34’5” S 134°15’50” E
Alice Springs
May 28, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
We came back to Alice Springs to stock up and clean up after our adventures through the West Macdonnell Ranges. We stayed 2 nights and couldn't wait to get out of the place! We nearly had 3 or 4 altercations with the "locals" just doing the grocery shopping. There were security guards outside Woolworths, police on guard at the bottle shops and the whole place felt very unsafe.

After washing cars, doing the laundry, grocery shopping, refuelling, filling water tanks etc, we checked out the sights of Alice including Standley Chasm, and Anzac Hill.

Temperature 7-26°
Diesel $1.27Read more
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Day 173
Monday, May 29, 2017
⛅ 14 °C
Altitude: 390 m
Australia Devils Marbles -20.56815, 134.2638520°34’5” S 134°15’50” E
Devils Marbles
May 29, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Stayed overnight right at the base of the Devils Marbles ($6.60 pn). The campground is a beauty and is very popular but we arrived about 3pm and managed to get 2 great spots. Taking the cameras, we walked through the marbles and got some great shots in the afternoon light before settling in for happy hour as the sunset lit them up.

Temperature 9-26°
Diesel $1.28 (Wycliffe)Read more
TravelerBring me home one of those!! 😂
5/29/17Reply
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Day 174
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
🌙 14 °C
Altitude: 205 m
Australia Daly Waters -16.25057, 133.3746216°15’2” S 133°22’29” E
Daly Waters Pub
May 30, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 14 °C
Overnight at the famous Daly Waters Pub. I received some good news on the work front, so we had a big night celebrating. Had the Beef n Barra BBQ accompanied by live music which was great. The girls brought their old bras to staple to the walls in return for a donation to RFDS. Needless to say it was headaches all round the next day!Read more
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Day 177
Friday, June 2, 2017 at 5:28 PM
⛅ 20 °C
Altitude: 131 m
Australia Bitter Springs -14.90962, 133.0848914°54’35” S 133°5’6” E
Mataranka
June 2, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Had a fantastic 4 nights at Bitter Springs Campground. It was an easy walk from the campground to Bitter Springs where we spent most morning and afternoons floating down the river in our pool hammocks.

We also frequented Mataranka Springs which was a short 7km drive. Mataranka Springs have been concreted around the sides and has no weeds, lillies and logs etc which some preferred.

Temperature 17-29°
Diesel $1.39Read more
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Day 180
Monday, June 5, 2017 at 3:58 PM
☀️ 29 °C
Altitude: 134 m
Australia Lake Malkyullumbo -14.1792, 132.1870714°10’45” S 132°11’13” E
Edith Falls
June 5, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Edith Falls wasn't really on our radar, but we got the tip to make sure we checked this place out. We stayed 2 nights at the campground ($20pn). There's a great swimming hole 100m from campsite, and we did the 2.6 km hike to the top swimming hole which was fantastic.

Getting hot now as we head north. Temperature 16-31°Read more
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Day 183
Thursday, June 8, 2017
☀️ 19 °C
Altitude: 115 m
Australia Florence Falls -13.09761, 130.7855113°5’51” S 130°47’8” E
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Litchfield National Park
June 8, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
We loved Litchfield and it's spectacular waterfalls, gorges and swimmimg spots. We also loved that it was free (take note Kakadu).

We stayed 3 nights at Florence Falls campground ($13.20 pn) which had toilets, hot showers, kitchen, fire pits and only a short walk to the falls. We were surrounded by trees so it proved a bit difficult to catch sun for the solar panels, but we survived.

Loved Florence Falls, Buley Rockhole, Tolmer Falls, and Wangi Falls, although we didn't swim at Wangi (dozens were) as crocs had been sighted.

We spent a lot of time cooling off in the various swimming spots as it was warm during the day, but thankfully it cooled off at night.

Temperature 21-31°Read more
The Shifting Spanners Tolmer Creek Falls
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The Shifting Spanners Wangi Falls
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The Shifting Spanners Florence Falls
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Day 184
Friday, June 9, 2017
☀️ 23 °C
Altitude: 102 m
Australia Coomalie -13.21031, 130.9258213°12’37” S 130°55’33” E
6 months Stats
June 9, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Well we've been on the road for 6 months, so time to take stock, check the budget and determine if we can afford to keep going for another 6 months!

After 33 years of working for Telstra, I have taken redundancy and will continue to do the same job as a contractor. My last day with Telstra is 27th June and I intend to start working from the van for 2 or 3 days a week as we keep travelling. This will be challenging, but hope it works out.

Here's the stats so far...

Distance travelled - 23031kms
Average fuel consumption - 13.5l/100km
Cheapest fuel - Ayr $1.13
Dearest fuel - Kings Canyon $1.98
Fuel total -$4050
Accomodation total -$3514

Sick days - NIL
Shortest travel day - 30km (Armidale to Guyra)
Hottest day - 47° Western Sydney
Coldest day - 1.8° Flinders Ranges

Paul's favourites
- Narooma - Sapphire Coast
- Adelaide Hills
- Great Ocean Road
- Lake Argyle
- Ayers Rock

Marg's favourites
- Flinders Ranges
- Jervis Bay
- Great Ocean Road
- Adelaide Hills (OMG the Autumn leaves)
- Bitter Springs - Mataranka

Best tip - National Seniors Card (over 50's). This has saved us heaps of $$...thanks Ian & Jane.

Well we've been able to stick to our $600 per week budget so far (fuel, accomodation, food and spending money)...in fact we're just under. Fuel has been the biggest expense, especially since leaving Port Augusta towards Darwin...we felt like we were constantly filling up, sometimes twice a day!

We're pleasantly surprised how we've been able to find great free or low cost camps, national parks, farm stays, private properties, showgrounds etc to minimise our accomodation costs. I think we've only stayed at 8 caravan parks on the whole trip, and that's only because there's been little alternative.

We've travelled through 5 states in 6 months, leaving only Western Australia and Tasmania to go. I reckon we keep going!Read more
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Day 187
Monday, June 12, 2017
☀️ 25 °C
Altitude: 15 m
Australia Civic Square -12.4627, 130.8465612°27’46” S 130°50’48” E
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Darwin
June 12, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Stayed 6 nights on a private property just south of Darwin ($15 pn). Unpowered but it had a portable toilet and cold shower, although we used our own shower in our pop up tent.

Checked out the Military Museum, Museum and Art Gallery, the WW2 Oil Tunnels and RFDS Museum to name a few. Very interesting WW2 bombing history here. Incredible to think the Darwin bombing was almost the size of Pearl Harbour, but the Govt of the day underplayed it's significance so as not to panic the Australian public.

We visited quite a few markets whilst here, but our favourite was the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets on Sunday night. There was every food imaginable at the markets and we sampled quite a few. I even had a deep fried Mars Bar and ice cream for dessert! Settled in (with a few hundred others) to watch the sunset over the ocean whilst we ate our seafood Laksa.

Beautiful warm weather. 18-31°Read more
The Shifting Spanners Mindil Beach
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The Shifting Spanners WW2 Oil Tunnels
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The Shifting Spanners Military Museum
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Day 192
Saturday, June 17, 2017
☀️ 29 °C
Altitude: 162 m
Australia Lake Argyle Tourist Village -16.11117, 128.7414316°6’40” S 128°44’29” E
Lake Argyle
June 17, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
We had a fantastic 3 nights at the Lake Argyle CP ($35 pn). The famous Infinite Pool was beautiful although very cold. We braved the water on the first day in order to get the signature photo, and I promptly got out to thaw.

We did the lunch cruise on the lake (the largest man made lake in the southern hemisphere) where we spotted kites, fed fish (catfish), stopped to view a few of the 30 thousand freshwater crocs and fed some rock wallabies on an island. We stopped for a beaut lunch including Silver Cobbler (bloody catfish), and Marg had a swim off the back of the boat.

Really enjoyed the Durack Homestead & Museum which was dismantled stone by stone, and rebuilt above the water line when the dam was built. Did some 4 wheel driving up to a ridge which had fantastic views across the lake and where several famous marketing photos have been taken of Lake Argyle.

Had our first mechanical issue of our trip...on inspecting the underside of the van, I found a large crack in the chassis where the chassis meets the a-frame. The mechanic at the park welded it up for us and we are going to get someone in Kununurra to weld some plates over it to make sure.

Beautiful weather 19-31°Read more
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Day 196
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
☀️ 30 °C
Altitude: 50 m
Australia Kununurra -15.78014, 128.7427415°46’49” S 128°44’34” E
Kununurra
June 21, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Had an unplanned 2 nights at Kununurra so we could get the cracked chassis of the van plated and welded properly. I actually got them to plate and strengthen the other chassis rail as well, just to be on the safe side.

Didn't really enjoy Kununurra too much...it was an ordinary CP and not a lot to see. We made the most of it, visiting Wyndham, 5 rivers lookout, Parry Lagoon, the Grotto and Mirima National Park (Mini Bungles).

After speaking to fellow travellers, we decided to skip El Questro Station...we are a bit over gorges etc and they are very expensive to visit...maybe next time.Read more
Gary CaswellYou guys should publish a calendar with some of the pics you've taken!
7/3/17Reply
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Day 201
Monday, June 26, 2017
⛅ 27 °C
Altitude: 5 m
Australia Town Beach Reserve -17.97082, 122.2363717°58’15” S 122°14’11” E
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Broome
June 26, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Had an overnight free camp at Ngumban Cliffs on the way through from Kununurra (where I set up the Sat dish to watch Qld win the 2nd Origin game) and arrived at our great campground 20 mins outside Broome ($25 pn). - cheapest in Broome!

Spent a week checking out the sights including the famous Cable Beach, Town Beach, Pearl Luggers, the dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point, Sun Pictures Cinema (oldest outdoor cinema in the world), the museum and Roebuck Bay. Spent most afternoons having drinks and nibbles at Cable Beach watching the fantastic sunsets and camel rides.

Celebrated my last day at Telstra with dinner and some beautiful Mango Beers at Matso's Brewery.

Beautiful warm weather 17-31°Read more
The Shifting Spanners This is a monument to the young, often pregnant indigenous pearl divers. They were thought to have larger lung capacities when pregnant, and were forced to dive without any apparatus resulting in many deaths.
6/25/17Reply
The Shifting Spanners Dinosaur footprint
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Day 207
Sunday, July 2, 2017
☀️ 27 °C
Altitude: 12 m
Australia Church Hill -18.36485, 122.0415618°21’53” S 122°2’30” E
Barn Hill Station
July 2, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Had a fantastic week at Barn Hill! It's a working cattle station, that have turned their hand to tourism by creating a camping ground right on the beach. They have been doing this for over 30 years and it's a great set up. There are powered sites (The Village), in the main area, but we preferred the unpowered sites strung along the red cliffs fronting the beach. They have a great bowling green set up, where we spent a few hours playing against Robert & Karen, our neighbours from Mackay. There is also a little shop that sells the basics as well as baked sausage rolls, fresh bread, vanilla slice, lamingtons etc which are all made at the homestead. They have many activities organised for the guests including bowls competitions, games, craft circles, Tai Chi, Sunday markets, and a Sunday roast night including a live band.

The beach was huge and we spent most afternoons sitting in various rock pools watching the sunsets. This is predominantly fishing country, and there were lots of fisherman spread out along the beach although not a lot of fish caught. We saw a couple of people swimming in the ocean, but the threat of sharks kept most people out. The whale season is just starting here and we heard various reports of whales being sighted, but weren't lucky enough to see any ourselves.

A great relaxing stay...temperature 16-30°Read more
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Day 213
Saturday, July 8, 2017
☀️ 24 °C
Altitude: 10 m
Australia Wallal Well -19.75447, 120.6727519°45’16” S 120°40’22” E
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80 Mile Beach
July 8, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
What a top spot! Stayed 6 nights here with our new friends we met at Barn Hill Station - Robert & Karen from Mackay. It's great to be travelling with someone again even if only for a couple of weeks.

80 Mile Beach is predominantly a fishing beach with 4WD access and is usually lined with fisherman on the run up to high tide. We all gave it a good go, but caught absolutely nothing. The bloke fishing beside me pulled in a monster 1.2m Threadfin Salmon which lifted our spirits, but it didn't help.

Victor and Barbara whom we met at Broome were also here. They spend 3 months every year at 80 Mile, as do a lot of retired Perth people. I think they felt sorry for us and gave us some fresh fish fillets which were beautiful. We had afternoon tea together on our last day and I cooked up a damper which we all enjoyed.

Beautiful weather, although starting to cool down at night. 11-30°Read more
Traveler I'am very jealous!
7/10/17Reply
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Day 219
Friday, July 14, 2017
⛅ 13 °C
Altitude: 682 m
Australia Ashburton -22.73115, 118.2740222°43’52” S 118°16’26” E
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Karijini National Park
July 14, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
Had a fantastic 5 night stay at Dales Campground at Karijini. We visited heaps of gorges, swimming holes, hikes and lookouts, our favourites being - Hancock Gorge including Kermits Pool, the Spider walk, & the Amphitheatre, Dales Gorge including Fortescue Falls, Circular Pool and Fern Pool, and Hamersley Gorge.

The hike into Hancock gorge was beautiful and quite challenging at grade 5 (highest difficulty). We had to descend ladders, wade through thigh deep water, and negotiate the infamous Spider Walk where we straddled the walls of the gorge to reach Kermits Pool.

Still travelling with Rob & Karen from Mackay and having a great time. We set up the sat dish here and kept the whole campground awake as we cheered on the Maroons to win the State of Origin series AGAIN!

Fantastic weather again. 8 - 29°Read more
The Shifting Spanners Kermit's Pool
7/18/17Reply
The Shifting Spanners The Amphitheatre
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The Shifting Spanners Circular Pool
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Day 226
Friday, July 21, 2017
⛅ 22 °C
Altitude: 4 m
Australia Town Beach -21.9477, 114.1311421°56’52” S 114°7’52” E
Exmouth
July 21, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
We swam with Whale Sharks!

A major bucket list item checked off the list. This one was way out of our comfort zone, but we're so glad we did it. We spent a full day with 3 Islands Whale Shark Dive and so happy we chose this operator. The all girl crew were fantastic and went out of their way to ensure everyone got to swim with a whale shark, regardless of their snorkling ability. We stopped at the inner reef in the morning to try our snorkling equipment whilst our spotter plane searched for whale sharks. Luckily for us the plane spotted plenty so we headed out to sea and had 6 dives with the biggest fish in the ocean! It's very tiring trying to keep up with them (especially whilst filming with a GoPro) and we all slept very well that night! We even got to see a humpback whale and calf, dolphins, manta ray, turtles and went snorkling on Ningaloo Reef on the way back to port.

Drove up to Viamingh Head Lighthouse for sunset drinks and were lucky enough to see many humpback whales swimming past.

Had a great dinner out with Robert & Karen at an Italian restaurant in Exmouth and had a fantastic night. We said our goodbyes as we parted ways for the time being...we may catch up down the track.

Beautiful weather 13- 27°Read more
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Marg n Pauls Gap Year 2017 The Shifting Spanners
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Day 229
Monday, July 24, 2017
☀️ 25 °C
Altitude: 5 m
Australia Osprey Bay -22.24001, 113.8388222°14’24” S 113°50’20” E
1
Cape Range N.P.
July 24, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Wow - This week has been one of the highlights of our trip! This place is magnificent! Not only have we been swimming with whale sharks, we've now done the "Turquoise Bay Drift". It's a beautiful snorkling location at Turquoise Bay, where the currents produced by the tidal forces escaping the reef lagoon make for a fantastic drifting snorkel experience. After walking about 500m up the beach, we entered the pristine blue waters, swam out and slowly drifted back down across the reef before swimming back to shore just before the currents swept out to sea through the gap in the reef. For a couple of novice snorklers this has been an exhilarating experience and one we won't forget.

We visited Turquoise Bay every morning at high tide and did the drift snorkel several times. Each time offered up a different experience including swimming with the largest turtle we've ever seen, sting rays, every kind of reef fish and of course beautiful coral.

We stayed at Osprey Bay campground ($20 pn) which is right on the beach. It's so windy here it would blow a dog off a chain and we had to tape up the fridge vent so the wind wouldn't keep blowing out the pilot flame. Apart from that, a beaut campground that we had to book online many weeks prior to get in.

Highlights too many to mention...

Beautiful weather 15-27°Read more
Traveler Just saying - I'm still jealous 😘
7/26/17Reply
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