The long and dusty road

August 12, 2014 / Denise / 4 Comments

Broome to Derby

The long and dusty road led us through varying vegetation – dry to green, to yellow flowering trees known as Wattle, to fire burnt vegetation, to Zebu cattle farms, termite mounds that look like cemeteries – lots and lots of red soil. Boab tress, native to this area of Australia lined the path, the occasional Wallaby and baby crocodile in the very few rivers, a couple snakes, added to the excitement of this the first part of our outback drive across the Kimberley.

And at last we landed upon the most beautiful campsite at Bird Down Campsite. That’s the flexibility that camping offers. The plan was to make the 4 hour trek to Winjanna but as the beach in Broome was so inviting, we left late and ended our journey just outside of Derby at a campsite that only the determined would find. One sign on the highway, and then nothing – but, we have no time, it’s getting dark and we need to set up camp, so we venture forward, fingers crossed.

With no other sign in sight and a bit cautious, we follow a dirt road onto a campsite located on a farm, with few other campers, very spacious, lots of wild life – Wallabies jumping across the field as we unlatch the gate onto the farm road, a flock of Cockatoos fly off as we disturb their peace and quiet, and horses graze graciously in the setting sun. Ahhh, certainly not in a hurry to leave, and we wait patiently to view this treasure at sunrise.

Spaghetti and meat sauce in progress, a couple bottles of wine and yes, it can’t get better.
See Aussie pics for more….

The long and dusty road

The Boab Tree

White Cockatoos at sunset

Always a great end to a great day

First stop Broome

August 11, 2014July 20, 2021 / Denise / 1 Comment

Changing the status quo
Note to self – the kids have all grown up. Either we get with the programme or the next family vacation will take the form of pre-booked – no decisions to be made during the trip, only before. When the kids were small it was easy – this is where we are going, this is where we will be staying and this is what we will be doing. Well now that they are a bit older, it goes like this – nah let’s look for another camp site, nah let’s do this instead, nah we don’t want to eat that.

Parenting has just taken on a whole new meaning – it’s the stage of relinquishing of authority that has blindsided us. And either you take it in your stride or die. So we adopt the stance that we’re on holiday – if they want to make the decisions, no worries. If they want to drive around all day looking for the perfect spot, no worries – just so long as I get to see the sunset at Gantheaume Point.

And we did just that – the perfect camp site was chosen and we spent the afternoon soaking in a great sunset at Gantheaume Point. A great start to the two-week trek through the Kimberley.

Sunset at Gantheaume Point

The camping life
I’d forgotten what this was all about – first you have the side which everyone is skeptical about – the sleeping on the ground, the lack of immediate access to facilities, the lack of privacy, the pitching of tents (which by the way has become a two minute exercise), cooking on burners, having to cook at all – generally speaking, the lack of absolute comfort.

Then there’s the other side – the flexibility of moving around, the meeting of other like-minded travelers and the stories shared, the immediate camaraderie that is developed, the broadening of minds, the eagerness to help each other – the lady in her pink bathrobe greeting you at the facilities at 5 in the morning – the Dutch couple voluntarily giving you tips on setting up camp.

And so it goes.

Broome

Frolicking in the Indian Ocean

Cable beach in Broome is amazing – possibly the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen – except that I have a Bahamian in the group who is not as impressed as we are – I can’t see my toes, she exclaims, and she’s right – Oh and it’s cold. But how can you come this far and not swim in the Indian Ocean. The water is not as clear as it could be, and yes it’s a tad bit numbing, but oh the beach is wide, the water is blue, the sky is blue and it’s perfect holiday mode for the rest of your life. We are in heaven and loving it.

See the gallery for more pics

Bondi Beach at last

July 25, 2014July 20, 2021 / Denise / 2 Comments

Reminder to self, winter in Sydney equals some days of rain and clouds – add in the wind and you have a chilly day begging you to stay home and veg out. But being on holiday and dying to see the sights we ignored the signs, jumped in the family bus and ventured out to the Eastern part of Sydney which, compared to Manly is a bit lacking in lustre. Bondi beach is lovely though, with the overcast skies, didn’t present itself at its best. Nonetheless, the drive through the city along the coast shows off Sydney as an amazing city offering the tourist and local alike, fabulous views and always the opportunity to relax, kick back and enjoy the finer side of life.

Off to the Kimberley in the morning, bags and bags are packed more with camping gear and less with clothing. Roger is exhausted, Josh is cooking pumpkin soup, the girls are sipping wine, Ben is cleaning up and Xands is pretending to learn how to cook. Promises to be quite an adventure. And yes, I did say Ben is cleaning up…

Bondi Beach

Aussie Ibis – lacking a bit of crustacean in their diet

The family

Yes it’s Sydney

July 24, 2014July 24, 2014 / Denise / 2 Comments

Ok I know that wasn’t exactly what you expected to see of Sydney – well quite frankly neither did we. There’s so much more to this city than the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and Bondi beach and we plan to do it all.

Running this morning we experienced Aussie as it is – locals greeting you as they pass by, voluntarily with a simple ‘HI’, signs on the running path showing you which side to run – it was clear though that Roger did not notice these as he ran on the grass and on the wrong side of the trail, but we really didn’t expect anything else did we – a well manicured park with waterways at every turn, rolling hills, and finally the crashing of the waves on the white sand, soaking in the crisp sea breeze before returning home. Heaven really.

We’ve been touring Manly, a suburb of Sydney, which gives you the sense of living the island life in a city atmosphere. The relaxed feel, the cool breeze, the closeness of the coast at every point. This place is so different, says my husband. Where in TT black birds, doves and pigeons are a normal sight, here you are delighted by the Lorikeet, Cockatoo, Magpie and the Great White Pelican, just to name a few.

Truly a delight. Enjoy the pics in the gallery on the top of this post.

Welcome to Sydney

July 23, 2014July 24, 2014 / Denise / 3 Comments

Aussie pics

Thirty* years is a long time, relatively speaking. Thirty hours travel seems like an eternity. Having gotten off to a good and very early start, we managed, through the use of the young legs in our family (Xands and Ben) to get through immigration, customs and immigration, again, in good time. With just a two hour lay over in Miami we were a bit skeptical as to whether or not we’d make our LA connection, imagining Joss at the gate waiting patiently for us. Well no worries, we did.

Welcome to Sydney!