jake's trip around australia

12/6/15

Day 73

This morning Emilie and I got up early to go fishing and Dad was going to drop us off at the pier but he hoped out of the car and stayed and got involved and then afterwards complained about baiting up hooks. All we caught were these yucky little spiky fish that fought hard for there size but you can’t eat them so we had to let them all go and the first one I caught spiked me in the leg and that really hurt for a few hours. We went home a 9 and had breakfast and then went to town and did a big shop and picked up our mail from the post office. After lunch we went to the aquarium which was really good, we got to see sharks, Trevally and many other interesting fish like stone fish! It was very informational and seeing all the fish and turtles and eels get fed was very good but the best was seeing the sharks get fed! There was a huge lemon shark and a big tiger shark to which were quite scary when we saw there teeth liking into a large fishes head. We also learnt about the stone fish which is extremely dangerous and scary for its size because it has an extremely painful venom which is injected via sharp spines on its back which doesn’t sound bad because you could just avoid it but the thing is that when I looked in the tank and I couldn’t see the fish and then one move and realised why they are so dangerous. Our guide also told us that one guy on a fishing boat was pulling up a net and got stung by one and he had to be restrained by the crew of the boat because he tried to cut his hand of the pain was that bad. After that we went to eagle bluff look out and then went back home and relaxed the rest of the day.

13/6/15

Day 74

Today we went to Monkey Mia to see the dolphin feeding and to have a look around. The Dolphin feeding was great and I got to feed one of them but there were 12 or so there. We went for a walk along the beach and saw to more Dolphins and then when we got back we saw 3 turtles in the water. We went back home and on the way had a look at little lagoon which was a small inland slat water lake which was very slaty and there was a sign saying that stone fish were abundant so I didn’t go for a swim. When we got home we had lunch and then we went into town and had a look at some shops and then a 5 we went fishing of the beach for whiting but they weren't on the bite.

14/6/15

Day 75

Today we went into François Perron for a day trip which was well worth it. We drove into the park at 9:30 heading for our first stop which was the homestead where we had a look at the old holding years for the sheep and the shearers quarters which was good because there where the old beds and fridges lying around. We also saw the hot tub of artisan water there which we decided to stop at on the way back and have a dip. We had a quick look at Heralds bight and then kept driving to Gregories beach where we stopped to have lunch and a fish. After having lunch on the beach I went into the really cold water for a spear fish and Dad started fish of the beach. I was in for about 40 minutes and saw heaps of small sand whiting that I couldn’t spear. I went swam in to the beach a dried off and Emilie told me to look in the goodie bag so I went up to our stuff and in the bag found 2 nice whiting just as I hear Dad say he's to a big one on! I grabbed to pliers and the nice and ran down to the water line to see Dad beaching this big 40cm flathead with brilliant yellow on its tail. I spiked it between the eyes and took it up to the chopping board we had used for lunch to clean the fish. From that point on the fish just kept coming and We got in total six flat head and 6 whiting and I also speared my fish fish which was only a small whiting (because they have no size limit) so we used it as bait and it converted into a nice flaty. After that we didn’t have much time to go so we went straight to skipjack lookout which was supposed to be amazing but we didn’t see much apart from ocean and cliffs. We drove back to the station and had a dip in the hot tub for about half an hour and then went home and had steak for dinner.

15/6/15

Day 76    

Today we left Shark bay and headed for Kalbarri, a little town on the coast. On the we didn’t stop anywhere interesting only stoping for lunch at a roadside stop full of flies. When we got to Kalbarri we went into town to have a look around and go to the visitor information where we asked what we could do in the national park. We did a quick shop for groceries and Emilie and I had a look at a dive shop and some other shops. We went for a drive to the surf beach but there was no swell so no one was surfing. We had a look at the river mouth and then drove out of town 4kms to the station we were staying at. We set up and collected some fire wood and Emilie and I made some damper on the fire. I had a fish in the river but just lost heaps of bait to these tiny sea mullets that a couldn’t hook. We sat around the fire aster dinner and then played cards.

16/6/15

Day 77 

This morning we went to look at shops and do a proper shop. We had a look at to three small shopping centres but didn’t find anything interesting apart from the dive shop. We also had a look at the snorkelling spot there since it was a nice day but it didn’t look great and I would have been the only one going in so I didn’t go. We went down to the rive mouth and had a look at the beach there because we were planing on swimming but the water was really murky and cold so we went back to the shopping centre and had lunch at the pub. After lunch we went home and stayed a the station for the afternoon and had a fish but didn’t get anything. We had pasta for dinner and had our damper which was nice but burnt on the bottom and under cooked on the top. We went to bed to the sound of a down pour.

17/6/15

Day 78

We woke up to the sound of rain and had to move everything from outside under cover. We were afraid we wouldn’t be able to get the caravan out because it might get bogged in the mud so we decided that tomorrow we would drive to Perth so we could do inside thing whilst it rained. In the morning we went into Kalbarri national park and went to the look outs in between showers of rain. The look outs were good and we got to see the postcard like coast of Australia for the very first time, it was impressive how such shear cliffs meet pristine colour ocean. We went home for lunch and played monopoly in the afternoon and I won.

18/6/15 

Day 79

We woke up a 7 this morning to pack up before the rain started. It was a mad rush to pack up but we got it done before the rain came and managed to get the van high and dry. We drove out of Kalbarri and started the long drive to Perth which was boring until we got the Geraldton. In Geraldton we stopped for lunch and than bought some scones for desert which I had with jam and cream, the best thing on rainy days. We kept driving and got the the outer suburbs of Perth in about and hour which were really nice which lush green gardens and big houses. we drove to our caravan park 14kms from the city centre and it was once again a mad rush to set up while it was not raining. We got the annex so we could make sure everything stayed dry. After setting up we were all tired and we just relaxed and Emilie and I played monopoly.

19/6/14

Day 80

Today we went into Perth for lunch and to do some shopping. We had a quiche for lunch and then we shopping because I needed some winter clothes and so did Emilie. I got 2 tee shirts a flannel and a light jumper and Emilie found what she needed to. After that we had a walk around and looked at some other shops before catching the train back home. When we got off the train we got into the car and drove back to the Caravan park where we had to quickly put everything inside because it started pouring down on us. We had dinner and then played 500 and went to bed but I didn’t get to sleep till late because of the rain and cars going past.

20/6/14

Day 81

We went to the swam valley for lunch today and to have a look at a chocolate factory. We went to the chocolate factory first and had a taste of some chocolate for free so Emilie and I kept going up for more! We bought 2 blocks of chocolate and I tried the best chocolate of my life! A dark ginger it was so good. We then went into a winery next door which had free tasting of wine obviously but it also had jams, honey, relishes, chutneys and sources. I tried almost every thing and my favourite was the tomato chutney and the honey so we bought some honey and also a nice pancake mix with chocolate source. We went to a brewery for lunch and I had a beef pot pie which was delicious. after lunch we went shopping for groceries and then called it a day and headed home.

21/6/14

Day 82

Today we had to pack up quickly to beat the rain and then we drove out of Perth aiming for Jurien bay. We had planed a few stops on the way like Nambung national park where we could see the panicles which are rock formations sticking out of the ground from about a metre tall the 4 metres tall which gives the effect of a grave yard. I found it quite amazing to see and it looked quite baron and felt like a desert. We kept driving and got to Cervantes for lunch which we had at the lobster shack but we had fish and chips because the lobster was to expensive. We bought a lobster from there and we were going to do a tour but the boats hadn’t gone out today because the whether was so bad. We went to a fish shop there and bought some bronze whaler shark and then we drove to Jurien bay and went to information but it wasn’t open so we went straight to our camp site and talked to the camp host there and found out a few things. Setting up was a nightmare because it was so windy we almost blew away! It took us half an hour to get the annexes up and then another 30 minutes to get everything else up. Once set up dad and I got some fire wood and made a fire but it started raining so we just played card all afternoon and then went to be which was really scary because the wind was so strong it was shaking the van and also felled small tree!

22/6/15

Day 83

The wether was better today but still cloudy and not the warm only 16. I wanted to go swimming but it was to cold and we didn’t know if there were sharks around. In the morning Mum, Emilie and I went for a walk to a look out on the point and It was so windy up there we didn’t stay long but when we were almost back on the beach it started to rain so we waited under a little cave for 10 minutes and them we ran back when it wasn’t heavy. We ate lunch out side because the sun was out and them after Dad, Mum and I went fishing down from the look out off the rocks and I caught 2 fish both little parrot fish that looked really nice but they were not edible. We relaxed for the rest of the day and we made some damper again for dinner and after dinner we played cards and Mum and I lost.

23/6/15

Day 84

Today  we went into town for the morning to do shopping and have a look at shops and I also wanted to ask about spearfishing a sandy point where we were camping. Emilie and I look in the new agency whilst Mum and Dad did the shopping, we both bought a magazine each for the Nullarbor because it was going to be so long and boring. After shopping we went to the dive and fishing shop to ask about sharks where we were and the guy said there were none and that it was good to spearfish. We walked out onto the pier and saw a dolphin playing around in the water by itself. We went home and had lunch out side in the sun and then got ready to go sand boarding! I also got my stuff ready to go spearing. We walked down to the beach to the dune and Emilie and I den straight up the dune which I thought looked small but once I was up the It seemed a lot bigger. I went down fist on the body board sitting down and then the second time I stood up which was heaps of fun. We did that for about 30 minuits and then I got ready to go in the water. I squeezed into my old wetsuit and the put my current one over the top and put some work gloves on so my hand would stay warm. We walked to the rocks and I walked to the waters edge and put my gear on and got into the water. I walked out and then went under water and saw heaps of sea grass which was 20cm from the surface so I didn’t want to swim over it because an eel might pop out of it. Dad kept telling me to swim out ten metres but I was quite hesitant and in the end I shock my head and swam out! I got to the sand patch ten metres out and started scanning the bottom for fish, maybe a tasty flathead but saw nothing. I worked alone the patch and only saw little box fish and these small king gorge whiting but the were to quick for me and my hand spear. It wasn’t very deep water where I was only about 3 metres so I decided to go the deeper water when suddenly I see this 3 metre long thing swimming 5 metres away with its tail moving! I really freaked out and thought if im gonna get eaten I may as well know what it is so I swam over and it was a big bit of seaweed drifting on the bottom. I kept swimming for ten minutes and then swam in and then we walked back the the caravan and I had a warm shower and sat by the fire.

24/6/15

Day 85 

Today we left Jurien bay and went Karalee rocks which had a dam and not much else. On the way we didn’t see anything interesting apart from a pipe line which goes from Perth to Kalgoorlie. Once we got the I got some fire wood and we had a fire but it didn’t burn long because we didn’t have much wood. That night we played cards and went to bed but it was very cold.

25/6/15

Day 86

We had a fire again this morning with the sticks that were lying on the ground just so we could keep warm and then once we ran out of wood we packed up and left for Fraiser range station but on the way we stopped at Kalgoorlie and we ate lunch there and we also had a look at the super pit which was a huge mining pit a least 100 metres deep with roads connecting it up and trucks everywhere. It was hard to comprehend how big it was and how much it must cost to run but they were mining for gold which does fetch a fair bit. We kept driving all day and got to the station about 40 minutes before sunset so we set up quickly and had showers and all those things.

26/6/15

Day 87

We left Fraiser range station early this morning because we had a long drive to the WA/SA border village where we were staying in a caravan park because we wanted to use the heater but we need power so we couldn’t free camp. We drove to the border village with only one stop for lunch and got there with plenty of time to spare so we went to the pub to watch the footy and have  drink. We went back to the caravan for dinner and then went back to the pub after to watch the end of the footy and unwind after a long days drive.

27/6/15

Day 88

Today we left to border village and had another long days drive to streaky bay which was a very very nice town and we arrived there at night so we could see the lights reflecting off the calm water which looked amazing. We didn’t have time to cook so we went to the pub for a meal which was nice except for the people behind us who were loud and swearing every sentence. We went home and put the heater on because it was going to be another cold night.

28/6/15

Day 89

Today we didn’t have much driving so while the girls did the shopping dad and I went fishing off the jetty where we saw about 100 cormorants sitting on the pier so we didn’t think the fish would be bitting. We didn’t get anything so we went back to the car and then picked up the girls and went to Whyalla which was 3 and and a half hours away and set up in a caravan park and once we had showers Emilie and I had a kick of the footy before having dinner and then we went to bed.

29/6/15

Day 90

We took our time packing up this morning because we didn’t have a big drive so we left at around 11 and then took our time driving to Adelaide where we got to sleep in a real bed in Dads apartment because he was working there for the next 11 days but we were only staying tonight. We went out for dinner at the pub which was really nice and then after dinner went home and watched Tv for the first time in a while.

1/6/15

Day 62

Today we were all very tired from the wale sharks so we just had a peaceful day. In the morning we went back to oyster stacks and had a good snorkel there and I saw a lion fish and we also saw a fis missing its tail. We also found out why its called oyster stacks, its because the three big bits of what I thought were coral are actually oyster stacks! It wasn’t as good as the other days but still pretty amazing. On the way home we saw a group of four Emus which had to baby ones. We stopped for a look and they were very tame I got to within 10 metres of them before they started to run away. When we got home we had wraps with chicken and them decided to stay home the afternoon. Emilie and I went to the beach and played with the frisbee and I went spearing but didn’t get anything. That night we went to happy hour again and said goodbye to every one because we are leaving tomorrow.

2/6/15

Day 63

This morning I got up and went spearing but still got nothing but wet and cut legs from the rocks. We had pancakes for breakfast! They were very nice with lemon and sugar. We took our time packing up and had a chat to a few people in the camp. We drove out of the park and went in Ex-mouth so we could get our mail but the post office sorts the mail at 11 some we had to wait thirty minutes. Mum did the sopping while Dad went to the bottle shop and Emilie and I got him his birthday present. We went back to the post office and went to get our mail but it hadn’t arrived yet so we got it sent on the Perth. We ate lunch at a cafe and Emilie got a free chocolate milkshake because the lady there had read the wrong order. After lunch we went to visiter information to ask about coral bay and what there was there, we then set off heading there. The drive was boring but only 111kms from Ex-mouth so it wasn’t long. When we arrived we got into the caravan park and set up so we could go down to the beach and watch sunset. Sunset was very nice and on the way back the the caravan park from the beach we saw people from a charter cleaning huge reds (red emperors) and other strange fish that were very big. We stopped at the restaurant to see the menu and then went back the the van for dinner. For dinner we had the fish we had bought in Ex-mouth from the jetty off a fishing boat that had just come in. It was very nice and after it we watched our DVD we got for free from the wale sharks.

3/6/15

Day 64 

On our first day in Coral bay we went snorkelling which was really really good because of all the coral and fish. I stayed in thee water the longest because everyone else was colds and I saw a nice lion fish swimming along and I also had a dolphin surface 3 metres away. After the snorkel we went to have a look at the shops which were better than we anticipated because the super market was big and had lots of things in it. We ate lunch and in the afternoon we had a relax and went to the beach for anther snorkel and to watch the fish feeding. At the fish feeding you were knee to wast deep in the water and you had to bury your feet in the sand so the fish don’t thing that there are food. The fish the lady was feeding were Spangled emperors which were 50cm plus in length. We went home and just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.

4/6/15

Day 65

Today we went snorkelling in the morning but we walked up the beach and them drifted down which was really good because there were a lot less people than the bay area and a lot better coral and fish and Mum and I saw a big tuna and a 60cm coral trout that was brown with blue spots. Mum, Dad, and Emilie hopped out but I stayed in and kept going for another 20 minutes right to the bottom of the bay and then hopped out and walked back up to our spot on the beach. I went for a walk round the right of the bay for about an hour and a half and met  New Zealander who worked on a boat north of Oakland that to swimming with dolphins tours. We had a good chat and then I went back to the caravan to have lunch. After lunch Emilie and I had a swim in the pool and went on the jumping cushion and after that we did some school work. For dinner we went to the restaurant because it was Dads birthday!

5/6/15

Day 66

Today we attempted to drive to five finger reef which was a snorkelling spot just outside the marine park. Before we left though I went to the super market and bought a under water spear because you are allowed to spearfish at five finger reef. We drove to the boat ramp and let our tyres down because it was a 4X4 track. The start of the track was okay but after a few minuets there were other tracks going off in all directions and we had no real map so we just had to guess. After 15 minutes of hard driving we arrived at a track going down to the beach so Emilie, Mum and I walked down to see what it was and we found a danger sign about driving on the beach and a small car park but no one was there and we weren't sure what it was so we walked back to the car and left. We had lunch and then in the afternoon Dad went for a swim at the beach and Mum and I went to a look out and on the way back asked a guy in information about the reef and said that there was a small car park and that it was perfectly safe to swim. After that we went snorkelling and also went for a swim in the pool. We had dinner and went to bed. 

6/6/15

Day 67

This morning we went to Five finger reef for real. We let our tyre pressure down and were about to start the drive there when a guy pulled up beside us and asked Dad to show him how to put his Prado in to 4 wheel drive. After the mans short driving lesson he followed us in just to have a look and then left. We got to Five finger reef and met these other people on the beach who were leaving but they didn’t say much. I got my wet suit on and got my spear ready and got all geared up because I had to go by myself because no one wanted to be near me with my spear. I went in which was very scary because we didn’t know what was in the water. I swam out and saw 1 ray and some long toms but you cant eat them. I got the the first patch of reef but got nothing so I moved on to the main reef where I found and abundance of parrot fish and tusk fish which aren’t bad eating but your not allowed to spear them. I kept working the reef back and forth but only found snapper. I started diving down and checking under coral but still nothing. Dad came in to join me and then Emilie but that didn’t bring the fish. I hopped out and moved down the beach and went back in to the water but got nothing so I moved over again but the water was only 50cm deep and I almost got barbed by a ray. I went back to the first spot for about 20 minuets and just when I was about to come in I saw this big silhouette moving slowly through the water and thought it could be a shark or a big fish. I got the spear ready and moved closer and to my surprise it was  a turtle! I dove down and swam next to it and it was’t bothered at all and I kept swimming with it for about 0 seconds and then swam to shore. We drove back and had lunch and in the afternoon went to the beach and snorkelled but it wasn’t as good as Five finger reef. 

7/6/15

Day 68

Today we went to maud’s landing to spearfish and snorkel but when we got there it was to dangerous to snorkel so we just looked and drove back home. For the rest of the morning we went to the beach for a snorkel and swim and then in the afternoon we did school work and had a swim in the pool. At 5 we went down to the boat ramp for a fish for an hour but we didn’t get anything.

8/6/15

Day 69

Today we said goodbye to coral bay and left for Quobba station but first we stopped at Canarvon to do the shopping and get some fishing gear since my reel broke yesterday so we dropped Mum at the supermarket and we went to the tackle shop. In the tackle shop Dad got a bit carried and almost bought the whole store! We got a new rod and reel and some sinkers and lures. We picked Mum up from the supermarket and she wasn’t impressed because the rod didn’t fold so we had to have it in the car diagonally. We drove to Quobba station and we were very disappointed when we found out we couldn’t camp on the beach so we just camped on an unpowered site. We set up and then went for a walk on the beach which was really nice but it was to dangerous to swim. We had silver trevally  that we bought in Canarvon from a fish market for dinner.

9/6/15

Day 70

In the morning Dad and I went for a fish off the rocks just a 2 minute walk from camp. It was hard to fish because of low tide and big waves so we went back home. We drove to the snorkelling beach and on the way stopped to look at the blowhole which got us wet because it changed directions and it was going 7 metres high. When we got to the beach we had a snorkel and saw a heap of fish which was great, I think it was the best snorkel spot we had been to. I saw 3 gropers a huge box fish and lots of snapper and reef fish, the only down side was that it was very shallow and I scraped my knee but apart from that it was really good. We went home and had lunch and after that we got ready for fishing and got some fire wood. We went fishing at 4:30 at the same beach that we snorkelled at but further down and I caught a dart which is the fist edible fish of the trip. We went home at 6:30 and sat around the fire after dinner.

10/6/15

Day 71  

Today we did a day trip to red bluff and and Gnarloo station. We left at half past nine and after 20 minutes attempted to drive down to seventeen mile beach where we saw the huge salt pile from the Rio Tinto mine. We drove down on a 4X4 track and couldn't drive to the beach so we walked over the sand dunes to have a look at the beach which was absolutely stunning. I walked down to the water to see if we could fish but it was all rock and the surf was to big so we got in the car and kept driving. On the way out of 17 mile we almost ran into 2 cars and when we finally got out went the wrong way so we had to turn around. Our next stop was red bluff which was a camp ground and a legendary surf spot and one of the worlds best. At red bluff there were many shacks on the beach and people camping, we didn’t go where the surf was but we walked on the beach and saw the reef. We drove out and headed for our last stop which was Gnaeloo bay which is just behind Gnarloo station. When we got to the bay I was amazed because it was like coral bay but ten times bigger and not developed at all it was just great because there was no one there and it was so calm. It would be very sad to see it developed like Coral bay and I would be very disappointed. We had a snorkel there and I had a spear but there was only one big queen fish but it was to fast and I couldn’t spear it. We had lunch on the beach and then made our way home in time for a fish but we didn’t catch anything so we had sardines and the dart I caught last night for dinner.

11/6/15 

Day 72 

Today we left Quabba station and stopped at Hamelin pool which is home to the earliest ecosystem on the plant. It sound interesting but was actually really boring because theses “ecosystems” are living rocks that grow a maximum of 0.3 of a millimetre a year! and the living rocks were half submerged under water so it was really boring. At Hamelin pool we also looked at shell beach which is a beach made of shells but it wasn’t very interesting ether because all the shells were crushed into a fine grain over the years by people walking on them and general where so the only thing that the shell beach gave us was shells sticking on legs and shoes and dirtying the car. After our great experience at Hamelin pool we skipped the look out at eagles bluff for another day and went straight to Denham where we set up in a caravan park and then went into town to do a small shop and have a look around. After Finding out about what we could do we went home and got ready to go fishing off the pier for some garfish we had herd about. We drove down and within seconds of the bait hitting the water the fish were swarming it and Emilie had one on. It didn’t fight much and when she landed it it didn’t look like a gar and on closer inspection I found out that it was actually a barracuda. we kept fishing for an hour and a half and all we caught on small perch and that was all. We went home and had dinner and then for an hour after we went to bed we had to listen to the Italian man next door sing along to his 60’s music. 

19/5/15

Day 50

Today Dad and I went fishing this morning while Emilie and Mum did the shopping and we ought nothing again so we went home and ate our mud crab for lunch which was very nice and I really enjoyed it. In the afternoon we went to the beach for the last time and Emilie and a made sand sculptures of a turtle, crocodile, octopus and a fish, we also went swimming and I walked out on the rock exposed at high tide and saw 2 octopuses and lots of fish and crabs. We watched the sunset on the beach for our last time. After the sunset we walked home and had lamb chops and sausages for dinner and then played scrabble.

20/5/15

Day 51

Today Mum woke up in the morning with terrible sand fly bites all over her so she drove to hospital whilst  we packed up because she was extremely itchy. She returned soon after because emergency was to busy so she had booked a doctors appointment. Emilie and I went to the doctor with Mum while Dad got a spare rim. The doctors gave Mum some cream but that was all he could do. After that we drove and drove and it was a borring drive because we didn’t see the coast till the end. We stopped for lunch at a road side stop which was nice because there were no flies! After lunch we kept driving and we got there at 4. When we got there we were expecting nothing but a caravan park but at reception there was a little shop with all the tools you could need, fresh veggies and frozen meat. We set up and went straight down to the beach to watch sunset which was mesmerising because the tide was out about a kilometre so all the wet sand turned orange and red. After watching the sunset we went back to the van and had dinner and after dinner we played 500.

21/5/15

Day 52

In the morning we went to talk the “The fish whisperer” as he calls hime self and we got the fishing tips about 80 mile beach. We went fishing 2 hours before high tide which was a 12 and we fished till 1. I caught a small Thredfin salmon and so did mum but we got nothing else. We went back home and had lunch and reflected on our bad fishing experience this morning. In the after noon Emilie and I did some school work and after that we went for a drive on the beach and Emilie and I got to drive! It was really fun and a bit scary when we had to pass other cars. After our drive Emilie and Mum went for a walk on the beach to pick up some shells to bring home. Before dinner we went to a ranger talk where the ranger had a slide show and told us all about the turtles breeding and laying eggs which was really interesting and I enjoyed it.

22/5/15

Day 53

Today we departed from 80 mile beach at 8:30 heading for Karijini national park but fist we had to stop at port Hedland for shopping so while Mum was shopping Emilie and I went into Harvey norman and tried out all the massage chairs and feet massages which was very funny and quite painful. Dad got some drinks at the bottle shop and then we drove for an hour and stopped for lunch at the side of the road, we had sandwichs and every time a road train went past Emilie and I would signal then to toot there horn and 2 of them did. After lunch we kept driving and got our first rain for the whole trip! We stopped at a road house 30kms from our camp and we bought afternoon tea. We got to our camp site at 5 and set up straight away because the visiter centre was closed.

23/5/15

Day 54

 Today we went to the visiter centre in the morning and had a look around at the displays and asked about the park and we selected our walks. We did the dales gorge walk which was really good because we walked at the top of the gorge and on the way back we walk in it. In the gorge we swam in a pool which was freezing but I walked around the rocks to where to water was coming out and it was hot water from a spring. The walk though the gorge was good but I almost had to go to hospital because we found a bee hive and I thought they were native bees which don’t sting so I put a stick in it to get some honey but they came at me so I ran and only got one sting in the shirt. At the end of the walk the was a big pool and we had a swim and saw a giant wasp which I didn’t go near. We went back home and had lunch and after lunch we just relaxed.

24/5/15

Day 55

Today we went to visitor information again to ask about to road to the north end and the walks there because it was raining and we we're unsure about is they were open. The lady there said we had to take the long route there which was 75 kms on a dirt road and she said the walks should be okay. We drove all the way there and started a walk but couldn’t finish it because it was raining and then it started getting heavier so we ate our lunch and went back home. In the afternoon we couldn’t really do much but I did some knot tying.

25/5/15

Day 56

Today we left Karijini and went to Ex-mouth, on the way we saw lots of mountains and new landscapes. We got to Ex-mouth and had lunch at the bakery and then did some shopping and went to visiter information and found out about the park and that there where no spots so we decided to go to a caravan park not far away we also booked our diving with the wale sharks tour. We went to our caravan park and set up and Emilie and I went to the pool and saw people who had come in from fishing and they had some huge fish. We ate dinner and went to bed to the sound of Galahs and Corollas.

26/5/15

Day 57

This morning we went straight to the rangers office and got a site in the national park and went back to our caravan park to pack up and go! Once set up we went to the information centre and found out about snorkelling and what there was to do in cape range national park. We were told that we could go snorkelling at oyster stacks now because it was a high enough tide. We drove there and got all our gear on and jumped in! In stately we saw many many fish of all sorts some long and skinny some short and fat others just had amazing patterns on them. We were in for about an hour and had a great time see all the fish and coral of all shapes and colours it was unreal. After snorkelling we went home for lunch and then relaxed on the beach at our camp.

27/5/15

Day 58     

In the morning Emilie and I went to the beach and started making a hut on the beach and we also had a swim. We didn’t get to finish it because there weren’t enough sticks but we had all for supports in and a few cross beams. I had a fish before lunch but only lost tackles in the weed and then went back to the van for lunch. After lunch we drove down to turquoise bay for a snorkel and started at the bay loop which was to easier part because to other park is a curent which you drift on but have to know when to get off it. At the bay loop there were hardly any fish and no coral which was extremely boring the only good fish were lethe jackets. We then walked down the beach to the drift and dad stayed on the beach while Emilie, Mum and I went in. It wasn't as good as oyster stacks but was still good fun and there were many fish to see. I saw to big troopers and lots of star fish and sea urchins on the coral. The best bit was a big bit of coral close to shore which was home to many fish of all sorts and was one very good spot. We got out and bragged to da about all the fish we saw as we walked to the car. On the way back we saw an Emu and almost ran over a kangaroo which just scrapper the side of the car. We ate lunch and Emilie and I finished our hut and played frisbee on the beach and then went to happy hour hosted by the camp hosts there and we met every one in the camp. We all went and watched sunset under our little hut and after dinner Emilie and I went fishing but all we got was sand fly bites.

28/5/15

Day 59 

This morning we went for a walk at Mandu Mandu gorge which was a really good walk and at the end we got a great view of Ningaloo reef from the top of the gorge. We rang my older sister sally from the top to see how see was and it turned out she was getting ready for court because the owner of the house they were renting wanted all there bond for stupid reasons. Driving back we went to Yardie creek for a look which is at the bottom of the park and also sandy bay which was a fishing spot but we didn’t fish we just looked. When we got home we had lunch and got ready for snorkelling at Turquoise bay again. We drove there and we straight to the drift where we all got in and saw heaps of fish and corals and giant clams! We stayed on the beach for a while and then went home for happy hour but I didn’t go because I went to the beach with a tent peg tied to a shovel handle to try spear something. I did’t get anything but saw to rays and about 5 shovel nose sharks which are supposed to be good eating. I hit one but the spear didn’t stay in.

29/5/15

Day 60

Today we went to oyster stacks again in the morning and it was better than the other days because there was less wind and more fish. I saw lots of snapper and parrot fish. We had some issues with snorkels but we fixed them up and had a great time. We came home for showers and them went into Ex-mouth for lunch and for shopping. We bought an under water camera to take photos of the wale sharks and also got some more drinking water. We then went to the information centre in town to ask about coral bay which was out next stop and I got a tee shirt and Emilie got a Wale shark teddy. We went home and I unbent a crab hook and tried went spearing again but got nothing.    

30/5/15

Day 61

Today we got up at seven thirty to get ready for the wale sharks! We left at half past 8 and got there just on time. A small rubber boat took us out to ‘LATITUDE 22’ Which was our boat for the day and it was a big one to about 22 metres long with a long back deck, engine room home to 2 750 horse power engins and desalination plant which produced 200 litres of water an hour, A second deck where up to ten people can got and the caption drives and last but no least a tolet and shower. Once on board we had a safety briefing and met the crew of five and then we got stuck into breakfast. I had peanut butter and honey on toast and then went up to the top deck and talked to the captain. He told me about  wale sharks, Humpbacks, Dugongs and all about the national park. We arrived at the morning snorkel spot and got geared up in our wet suits and flippers. I was first in and had jumped into a world of beauty there where fish absolutely every were and there was a huge school of Barracuta and there was even a huge Crayfish under a rock ledge. I saw occupies and zebra fish and also some fish grading a hole on the sea floor. We were told to hop back on the boat and then the captain called up the spotter plane to find a wale shark. We had morning tea and Then cruised around for 20 minutes until the plane found a spot about 40kms away so we spun around and headed for the sharks but as we were cruising along a another wale shark boat passed us heading for the same spot luckily though we had the fastest boat and over took them easily thus getting to the sharks first. We got a run down on the rules on how close you are allowed to the sharks and what not to do and how many people in the water at a time which was ten so we were split into to groupes of ten and we were in groupe one so we were in first. Everyone got there gear on and group one got down on the marlin board at the back and we got a five and 2 minute warning before it was go go go and we were in the water. We all got in a line and I was a the back in 20 metre deep water. The shark swam past and I was in owe as the gentle giant passed us and suddenly I was grabbed on the arm and thrust forward but the guide because I forgot to star swimming next to it! Now I was first and I got a great view of the beast. We kept swimming for a bit until it sped up and we stopped swimming and the other group got in and the boat came round and picked us up. We watched the other group swimming next to the wale shark. After our first swim everyone was in shock but soon we were back in the water for the second shark which we got to swim with for longer. Back on the boat everyone was talking about how amazing it was and how then got so close. We got ready again and it was in the water again. I got pushed to the back and the I swam around the tail and went to the other side were it was just the photographer and me with was good because I got lots of photos. We Didn’t get long with that shark because it was fast but the next shark was really slow and I got a good look and its mouth and eyes which looked so humble. Back on the boat we got a break for about half an hour and the we got ready again for the last shark. We jumped in and lined up as the shark came towards us and as it was swimming past it veered toward we thing that my flippers were food so I had to quickly swim away. I swam behind the shark again and went to the other side and went with the photographer but then she went to the other side and I was by myself which was a bit scary. We got back on the boat and had lunch which was good after all the swimming we did which was 102 minutes swim time for the groups combined and 51 minutes each which was very because they usually aim for 60 minutes combined. After I had lunch I went up and talked to the skipper and asked him how he ended up in Ex-mouth and about diving which was very interesting and then he asked me if I could steer the boat while he had lunch and said “Its only a million dollars” so I took the weel and had to steer the boat for 20 minutes. We got back at around 5 and said goodbye as we walked back to the car.     

11/4/15

Day 13 

Today we went on the pound walk at the Macdonnell range national park which has been rated the best walk in Australia. On the walk we went through A nice gorge and up to a look out on a hill, We also walked in a dry river bed. In the afternoon we went to another water hole 11Kms away for a swim which was good and there were many little fish in the water to see. After that we went home and relaxed and went for a little 30 minute walk.

12/4/15

Day 14

The first thing we did today was go to the Ochre pits which was a ten minute drive out from our camp. Ochre is what aboriginal people used and still use in traditional daces to paint there bodies and also for painting. The Ochre pits we visited were where they would extract the Ochre for these proposes and the aboriginal men also used to go there to tell dreamtime stories that only they were allowed to hear. After the Ochre pits we went back to the van and had had lunch. After lunch we went to Elly big hole water hole for a swim. It was a little drive to get there and once we arrived it was a 2 minute walk to the water hole. The water was very cold maybe 15 degrees but it was so hot outside that I still went in. The water hole was a big gorge stretching away about 150 meters where there was a bank and more little pools of water. We all swam to the other end of the gorge but couldn’t go in the little pools because the water was all green and smelt disgusting. Then we went to another little water hole but we couldn’t swim there but I wouldn’t of swam there anyway because it was very dirty. That was the day.

13/4/15

Day 15

Today we hit the road again but this time heading for Alice springs! On the way we stopped at Stanley chasm and Simpsons gap which where both very disappointing and cost $25 each which was a complete rip off. We ate lunch at Simpsons gap and then got to Alice springs at 2 O’clock. First entering Alice was very confronting see such a mass of people on the street just siting down and drinking. After we enter the town centre it got better and there were less drunk people around and I felt safer. We checked into our caravan park and found our camp site which was near the jumping cushion and pool. In the afternoon we went shopping for food in town and had a look at some shops which were very interesting especially some of the Aboriginal art galleries. 

14/4/15

Day 16

In Alice Springs today we went to town to look around and do some other small shopping, we also bought a Didgeridoo and had a reason which was really good and I would highly recommend. We ate lunch at a nice little café, Emilie and I had toasted ham and cheese sandwiches. In the afternoon we went to the School of the air which is a school for children who live in remote communities. It is basically an online school with a video from the teacher and the students can see what the teacher is doing and saying. It was quite amazing that kids as far away as 2000Km where in the same virtual classroom. While we where there the Roulettes where there which is a group of fighter pilots who fly planes for shows. The kids where asking them questions over a video call which was pretty astonishing. After the School of the air we visited the old overland telegraph station which was excellent. I learnt how a telegraph works and even learnt a bit of mores code. 

15/4/15

Day 17

Today we went to the flying doctors in Alice Springs. We saw a 3D presentation and got to go in a replica of the real plane they use. The museum was good and there were models of all the old planes and new ones too, they even had all the old medicines and needles which look very scary. For the rest of the day we just relaxed and went on the jumping cushion and swam in the pool.

16/4/15

Day 18 

Today was another driving day and a long one. over 700km but at least it was sealed road. we made a stop at Tennant creak for lunch. After Tennant creek we drove al the way to our camping spot which was Banka Banka station. When we arrived we where greeted by a friendly guy who was working on the station and he gave Emilie and I free icy poles and showed us to our camp site. Once we where set up a guy came over and said we could run under the sprinklers and that they would have a camp fire, live music and a bar open tonight. After dinner we went down to the camp fire and listened to the county music for a long while and then went back to the van and went to bed.

17/4/15

Day 19

Today we got to Mataranka at 12:00 and had a quick dip in the hot spring that was just a short walk away from our camp site. We had lunch and then went for another swim in the spring near us where there were lots of little fish. We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and then went to listen to the live music before dinner, the guy playing the live music was very good he was doing Australian songs and playing the Didgeridoo and the Guitar and also singing.

18/4/15

Day 20

In the morning we went to bitter springs which was in Mataranka, It was very hot but very pretty too. Under the water it was amazing because you could see all the palm leaves that had built up over years and years and all the fallen logs in the water. At the spring there was a current so we floated down on noodles. In the afternoon we went to the spring at the caravan park again and did a tiny walk to the river but didn’t see any crocs.

19/4/15

Day 21 

We headed off to Katherine gorge were we were hoping to see our first croc. When we got to Katherine we stopped to do some shopping and go the the information bureau where we found out about walks and what to do in Darwin. After that we kept driving to the gorge. Once we were at the gorge we got a camp site and we to the shop there where they had 2 pet pythons in a tank. We walked down to the river at sunset and saw some wallabies. after dinner Emilie and I had a swim in the pool there and then went to bed.

20/4/15

Day 22

Today we went on a walk in the gorge to a waterhole. On the walk we saw lots of wallabies and other interesting things. When we got to the water hole we were the only ones there and that was good because we were told by the people at the information Bureau that It was a very popular water hole because it is only open at this time of year. First we had morning tea then I was the first to get in and the fish stated nibbling on me cuts! I almost jumped out of the water because I thought it was a crocodile. After swimming to the water fall which was a 50m swim I climbed up the rocks and jumped off. The highest rock I jumped off was 5 meters. After a little while more people came and started jumping off even higher rocks that I wouldn’t have even dreamed of. I didn’t go up to the high rocks because they were about 8 meters and I wasn’t really sure I could do it and once you were up there you couldn’t climb down. We caught the ferry back from the water hole which was one of the boat tour boats so we got a really short tour. Once we were back we went in the pool and concluded the day.

21/4/15

Day 23

Today we left Katherine gorge and went into Katherine to go to the museum  Which had things about all about the WWII and how Katherine became a military town and that Katherine was bombed. In the museum there was a huge time line some WWII things like guns bombs and many other interesting things like a tiger moth plane which is an old bi-plane. after the museum we went and had lunch in a café in Katherine and then hit the road again. We where heading to Edith falls Which was a hour away. When we arrived at the falls we went up to the hut that was reception and got 2 nights there. After we set up we went to the bottom water fall which wasn’t very big but still good. It was about a 150-200 meter swim to the fall which we swam to and back which was tiring but worth it. Sadly we didn’t see any crocs when we went at night but we did see a big barramundi in the water about 60cm long. On the way back from the water Emilie and I killed 14 cane toads all together.

22/4/15

Day 24

Today  we went on the loop walk which took us up to the top fall. The first half of the walk took us 30 minutes. When we reached the pool we were treated by the beautiful view and the nice flowing water fall. This fall was bigger than the bottom one, It was about 8 meters high. Emilie and I were the first to get in and we swam out to a little island in the middle of the pool. I stayed on the island to have a better look at the water fall while Emilie swam back. When Emilie had almost reached the bank where we got in I herd a splash just near the rock where I got up, so I spun around to see a snake like shape slithering through the water. I couldn’t walk out what it was because there where no eels in the water there and there where no sea snakes ether, and it didn’t look like a fresh water croc. Everyone dismissed my claims and said it was nothing. Mum, Dad and Emilie swam to the island and then around it to the water fall. I walked around on the rocks to the fall and we climbed up it and walked over to another pool but didn’t swim. We all went back down and I jumped in and swam over to the little island trying not to think about what I saw Emilie reached the island first and said “SNAKE!” I swam over quickly and saw that it wasn’t a snake but a water monitor, and it look exactly like what I had seen before. after looking and taking photos of the water monitor for a while we had morning tea and walked back down to the park. We had lunch and didn’t do much else for the rest of the day.

23/4/15

Day 25

Today was an exiting day because we were going to our first big city, Darwin! I didn’t really mind but everyone else was ecstatic because we had only had general store up until now and very limited food options. It was a short hour drive to our caravan park which was called hidden valley ten minuets south of Darwin. once in the caravan park we set up and went straight into the pool, it was VERY nice especially since it was so humid. We were thinking about going into the city but we had five full day here so for the afternoon we just read around the pool and swam.

24/4/15

Day 26

Our first day in the city was very enjoy able. We got there around lunchtime and had lunch at a crêpe place which wasn’t bad for the price. After lunch we walked around the swimming area (which is need off from the sea because of crocodiles) and looked at the wave pool too. We walked to the WWII storage tunnels but they where closed because it was past one so we decided to go have a look in the main street and information centre. At the information centre we looked and at fishing carters but the barra ones where to far out of darwin and to expensive so we planed on doing one a Ex-mouth. In the main street we went into Michel centre which was a little shopping centre. At the centre we went to a sport shop and I got some walking shoes and Emilie got some goggles. We went back home and fished the day with a nice swim in the pool.

25/4/15

Day 27

Today we went to the WWII oil storage tunnels in the morning, we learnt that they where never used because they where finished just before the war ended. It seemed like a huge wastage of time and labour. after the tunnels we went to the WWII museum which was very interesting to learn about the bombing of Darwin and all about how the war begun. In the museum they had all the artillery, weapons, vehicles and other cool thing, they even had a exhibition on the Vietnam war which was really good because I knew nothing about it and they had all pictures and other things. After the museum we went to a restaurant for lunch and I had creamy pasta. In the afternoon I read my book on WWI and then we went to the wave pool in Darwin city which was very good.

26/4/15

Day 28

Today Mum, Dad and I went to the aviation heritage centre where they had all sorts of planes on exhibition. The first thing we did there was watch a short movie on the bombing of Darwin and then we were free the rome the hanger. In the hanger there where planes from WWII era all the way to todays planes. There were many displays of uniforms and other item which where interesting but I just really wanted to have a look at the planes. The planes they had on display were Spitfire (replica), B-52 bomber, Mirage III jet fighter (french plane bought by Australia), Ca-27 Sabre (very successful american jet fighter), F-111 jet fighter (flys 2 times the speed of sound), Zero (Japanese fighter used to bomb Darwin in WWII), AH-1 (American helicopter  used in Vietnam). After that we went home and had lunch. In the afternoon I built my model planes I bought from the heritage centre (spitfire and bf-109 which is a german fighter from WWII) and went in the pool. We went out for dinner at a Thai restaurant which was on a little canal with yachts and catamarans, I ate masimun beef curry with rice.

27/4/15

Day 29 

Today we left Darwin heading to Litchfield but first we had to pick up the car that was getting some electrical work done. Once we got the car we drove to Litchfield national park which was about a 2 hour drive and once we where set up went to the water hole near our camp. In the water hole there were lots of fish and we could jump off rocks because it was so deep. After the water hole we had a fire, our first of the trip and then had dinner.  

28/29/4/15

Day 30/31

Today was our first and only day in Litchfield. We did a walk at Wangi falls which had a spectacular view at the top then we did another walk to the top of a fall where we swam and saw a water monitor and after that we went and looked at a swamp. In the afternoon we went to bulley rock hole which was a very small fall with about 10 pools at each flat of the falls which you could swim in. One of the pools was about 5 meters deep at one point. After that we went home and just relaxed because we were all tired from the long day.

30/4/15

Day 32

Today we went to timber creak where I was hoping to do some fishing. When we got there we walked down to the bout ramp and there was a croc sign so I couldn’t go fishing sadly. We had dinner and then went to bed but the night was far from over. I could keep hearing boat trailers coming in. I got to sleep but every one else was kept up by the boats.

31/4/15

 Day 33

Today We were woken by three guys setting up there boat right next to us at 5;30 in the morning. Once we were awake we went down to the boat ramp to find out why all the boats were hear. At the boat ramp we found people cooking bacon and eggs and many people lunching boats, we were told by on of the cooks that the annual timber creak Barra bash was on and that some 300 people had entered. The prize was 3 grand for the biggest Barra. We bought breakfast from the cooks and talked to a lady who was the local principal of the school. After that we got in the car and set our for lake Argyle which was only 2 hours away. Once there we went to the caravan park and booked in for 3 nights. We had a swim in there famous infinity pool and   noticed people coming up a small track from the lake. We asked one of the people at the pool what was happening and they told us that the annual lake Argyle 10km and 20km swim was on and the swimmers where driving now and that tonight there was a huge dinner for 650 people with live music. We where thrown into the thick of it once again as that night we had live music booming in our ears. And that was our first day at lake Argyle.

3/5/15

Day 34

Today we went to a heritage homestead where we watched a hour long video on the building of the dam and why lake argyle was build. Some interesting thing I found out was that the homestead we where standing in was actually in the middle of lake argyle before it was damed and that it was moved and rebuilt exactly the same just at the edge of the lake. To put it back together they had to mark a number of every brick and put it together 1 by 1. After the homestead we went back to the park for lunch. In the afternoon we went fishing at the bottom of the dam and I caught 14 fish 12 yellow finned bream and 2 catfish. after fishing we went home and had a swim i the freezing pool and went down to the “beer garden” for a drink and watched some live music to finish the day.

4/5/15

Day 35 

Today in the morning we went to the spill way to fish! A spill way is an over flow point for the lake if it ever got to high instead of going over the dam wall and destroying every thing along the ord river it would go over the spill way and in to another river. At the spill way we were greeted by a sigh saying “danger estuarine (saltwater) crocodiles have been seen to inhabit this area” but nothing was going to stop us. we walked down about one hundred meters from the bridge and found a big pool of calm water so we began to fish. The water was crystal clear and I could see the fish following in the lure but not taking it so I walked around the bank and saw a huge school of catfish of about 30 so I couched the line in and called Emilie and Dad over. The biggest catfish I saw was about 80cm long and was not taking prawns plastic or lures even if I landed the lure on it’s head. We were about to leave when suddenly im on! It took a bit of force but I got it in but it was only small about 35 so I put it back in the drink. Seconds after I realise the fish Emilies on and a bigger one than mine. She gets it in and It was Actually the same size as mine but a bit fatter. After that Emilie caught 2 more and I wasn’t getting any thing until I changed to bait and caught 2 more and one keeper. We returned to the caravan with the days catch and big grins on our faces. We didn’t eat the fish for lunch and saved them for dinner. In the afternoon we went on the “sunset cruz” Which was great. First we got on a bus and drove over the dam wall and back down to the boat ramp where we hopped off the bus and got onto the boat. On the boat we were given a quick safety talk and then we were off. The 2 tour guides told us about the lake and some animal like freshwater crocodiles up the 3 meters long and wallaroos on islands. We tided up to a boy and they told us this was a swimming spot and said first one in gets first drink. I was first in with a flip and they threw me a soft drink which went under and popped back up. Emilie and I got to jump off the roof of the boat and while all this was happening the driver of the boat was fishing 25 meters down with a hand line. I went up to the front of the boat just as he gets 1 and the 2 because had to plastics on. he pulled the line up ten meters almost falling in and lost one but still had 1 on there. He pulled the huge eight Kg catfish into the boat over a meter long and he was say that this was only small and he had a 14Kg one the night before. he pulled up another one the same size and then every one got back on the boat some people had drunk a bit to much wine and beer wisest in the water. we headed back looking at different things on the way and we got in the perfect spot for sunset. After sun set the driver turned the boat around and just as the sun went sown the full moon rose. we went back to the boat ramp and hopped of the boat and got on the bus for the sort drive back to the resort. We got off the bus and thanked our guides and went back to the caravan for dinner of catfish. I was the first to try the catfish and disliked it very much the texture was horrible and it tasted like mush. The only one who liked the catfish was Emilie. Then I remembered the guy on the cruz telling me that one type of cat fish is bad and the other is good ours being the bad type and the other being good. And thats how we finished our day with the taste of yucky catfish in our mouth.

5/5/15

Day 36

Today we left lake Argyle and went to Kunnanara an hour away. Once at Kunnanara we found the caravan park and booked in. After setting up we had a walk around the park and then drove into town to have a look. In town we went to a camping shop and got some new line and lures for Barra. While Dad was having his hair cut Mum and I did the shopping. After looking at some shops and Emilie buying some shorts we went to the “Zebra rock café” for lunch and had a look at the Zebra rock and some talking birds who could dance and were very funny. We also fed the catfish there which were disgusting and saw some barramundi in the water. after the café we went down to Ivanhoe crossing which was apparently a top fishing spot. At the crossing we fished off the bank and didn’t catch anything but no one was anyway so it wan’t that bad. We went back home and looked for crocodiles along the lagoon edge but we found nothing.

6/5/15

Day 37

Today was our only full day and Kunnanara, we planed on going to Wyndham but while Emilie was having her hair cut in the morning the hair dresser said that Wyndham was a waste of time and the Elquestro was the place to go so we did. Elquestro is on the Gibb river road about 50 km in. On the way to Elquestro we stopped at Emma gorge which was a 2 hour walk return with a swimming hole at the top which was refreshing but before getting in we saw a Taipan which is australis most feared snake. After Emma gorge we had lunch at a restaurant and then went to Elquestro station where we went on a short walk and looked around the station. after that we drove back to Kunnannura and did some shopping. 

7/5/15

Day 38

Today we left Kunnanura and went to the Bungle Bungles! On the way we stopped at the sandal wood factory where we watched a short film on what sandal wood is and why it is grown. I lernt that Indian sandal wood is the most expensive hard wood in the world, It’s heart wood (centre) sells for $100,000 Australian dollars a ton because it is highly prized incense sticks in the buddhist religion. After the film we had a look in the shop where they had all different products made from the wood. We bought some sandal wood scented shampoo and soap and Dad got some after shave. We had morning tea at the café there where I had a yo-yo biscuit which was awfully salty, so I went to the counter and told them and they couldn’t believe it so they tried it and found out that it really was salty. They offered me some cake and I took it and went back to eat it. When we were about to go they told us that the cook had used baking soda instead of sugar because the packs were the same. We then drove the Bungles along a 4X4 track with creak crossing and other obstacles. We went to the information centre and then went to our camp site where we quickly set up and went to watch the sunset from a look out near our campsite. after sunset we had dinner and looked at the stars before hitting the sack.

8/5/15

Day 39

Today we did 3 walks in the morning which were all apart from one. The first walk we did was very short up to a look out where we met 2 people who told us all about where we should go and the guy said he would take me fishing if he saw me at Ex-mouth. After that short walk we did a walk threw echidna gorge where we walked through a gorge only a metre wide at times. The walk was great and very interesting because you could see all the layers rock and sand which had been made over millions of years. After that walk we di the homestead valley walk which started from backwoods, the walk was very difficult because we were walking through a dry creek bed full of stones that shifted with every step. At the end of the walk was a look out which wasn’t very good and I deemed the walk s a waste of time. After that we went home had lunch and went to a lookout to watch the sun set which was good apart from all the mosquitos.

9/5/15

Day 40

Today we went to the other and of the Bungles national park and did another 3 walks which were great walk. The first walk was to picaninny look out over the dome (The famous rock formation at the Bungles), I thought it was pretty amazing seeing it because I had seen them on post cards and other things but none of them do it justice. The second walk was to Cathedral gorge properly the Bungle Bungles most famous walk and place and I can understand why. The walk there was relatively easy and only about 20 minutes from the look out. Once we got there we saw a huge amphitheatre shape which bounced back all the noise you made from under it into the gorge and when Emilie and I clapped and stomped at the same time it sounded like thunder. There was also a pound there but it was full of algae and green weed which was not how it was depicted in photos at  an information bureau. After that we did a small loop walk back to the car park which told us what Aboriginal people use certain plants for. We went home and had lunch and then in the afternoon we relaxed and I improved my tomahawk throwing into a dead tree.

10/5/15

Day 41

Today we left the Bungles and drove to Fitzroy crossing on the way we stopped at halls creak for fuel and morning smoko which was a chocolate bar. After the stop we drove all the way there and had lunch the full drive took about 5 hours. In Fitzroy crossing we went straight to our camp site and after setting up went kangaroo spotting. We had dinner at the pub there Which was very nice I had a parma.

11/5/15

Day 42

Today we went on a cruz at 8:30 in the morning on the Fitzroy river which was really good and informative. We went though a lime stone gorge and learnt all about the plants and how such intricate shapes were made from the stone over millions of years. After the cruz we went fishing of a sandbank and caught nothing so we left. We went to the information centre and bought a movie about a local aboriginal tribe who rebelled against white people using there land for cows and sheep, we also bought a carved Boab nut. After that we went home and just relaxed.

12/5/15

Day 43         

Today left Fitzroy crossing heading for Derby where the plan was to have fish and chips on the pier which was ment to be really good. On the way we stopped at marry river station where which was a station on a river 200km inland from the coast where we saw a 2.5 meter saltwater croc lying on a bank which was pretty confronting because we were so far inland. We had lunch by the river and then hit the road again for Derby which was a long boring drive and when we got to Derby we were disappointed by the town because it was quite dirty and not a very nice place. we went to a fish n chip shop and then drove to the pier where we were also disappointed by the coast and the first time I had ever seen the Indian ocean from land. The water was muddy the beach was all muddy it was also low tide so It looked even worse, and worst of all the pier was half blocked for live cattle to get on the boats. We had our fish and chips and then decided to go straight to Broome which was 3 hours away. When we got to Broome we went to our caravan park a set up straight away because it was getting dark and we had dinner and went to bed.

13/5/15

Day 44

Today we went to have a look at the beach and saw a Manta ray swimming in the water next to people, The beach looked pristine.After that we had a quick look at the shopping centre and the town which was very nice. We went home for lunch and then after lunch went to the beach where we played cricket and went swimming and body surfing which was heaps of fun. We watched the sunset over the water which was amazing because the sun was red.

14/5/15

Day 45

Today was my  birthday! We caught the bus into town and went into china town and went to a dive and tackle shop where  we got snorkel masks and some tackle. After we went to mitre ten and we got some crabbing hooks and then caught the bus home. We had lunch at home and in the afternoon we went to the jetty and went fishing while the girls went shopping. We didn’t catch anything and we went home and got ready for the restaurant. At the restaurant I had a chicken coconut curry and shared it with mum who had Thredfin salmon. The restaurant was very nice and I enjoyed it, we went home and had desert and I got a book on mountain biking and a mini chess game but I got my other presents before I left.

15/5/15

Day 46

Today we went into town again and had a look at the pearl museum and then I had a hair cut. In town we also looked at the old jetty. After lunch we went crabbing on the mud flats a low tide but had nothing to show for it apart from muddy hands and legs. It was a fun experience but we came home empty handed. after crabbing we went to the beach which was fun and watched the sunset again but it wasn’t as spectacular.

16/5/15    

Day 47

Today we were going on a camel ride but first we went fishing and caught nothing as usual but other people were catching fish. After that we went home and had a swim in the pool followed by lunch. In the afternoon we went on a camel ride which was really fun and exiting. After the camel ride went went to the beach to watch the sunset and Emilie and I rolled down a huge sand dune.

17/5/15

Day 48

Today we went on a day trip to cape Leveque Which was a 2.5 hour drive one way. On the way there we stopped at a church in a remote community where they had an alter made out of pear shells and some of the walls had pear shells in them. We kept driving and went to one arm point where we did a tour of the pear farm and we were shown how they are grown and how to grade pears. After the tour we drove the the end of one arm point where we had lunch and I had a fish and caught a squid. Then we drove to cape Leveque where we went snorkelling which was supposed to be amazing but wasn’t really that good although we did see a rock cod and some clown fish. After that we drove home in the dark and saw one wallaby, we got home at around 7:30 and had dinner and went to bed. 

18/5/15

Day 49 

This morning Dad and I went fishing while Emilie and Mum went to fix a necklace and look at shops. We didn’t catch anything but people left and right were pulling up Queenies on the same lures that we had. After our unsuccessful fishing experience we went home and had lunch looking forward to mud crabbing with someone we met at the pier. We went to the beach after lunch for an hour and then got prepared for crabbing in old clothes. Greg picked us up in his ute and we drove for 20 minutes the secret creak. Once there he told us that there could be crocs and that he would walk through pools of muddy water waste deep first. We found our fist crab hole within 5 minutes and greg started poking around in the hole with a metal hook, The crab was weed in to hard so we left it but soon we had another hole and greg managed to extract a crab. The next crab was a hard one and took about 10 minutes to get out but we go it and it was big. The next crab had wedged it self in under some roots and was very easy to get but not the easiest because on the way out of the creek I spotted a big crab just sitting on the bank so Greg grabbed it and put it in the bag. We drove back to the park and said good by and thank you and went back to the van and cooked up the crabs.   

9/4/15

Day 11

Today we did 2 short walks the Kathleen springs walk and the riverbed walk each about an hour. after the walks we had lunch which was nachos! I the afternoon I caught up on my blog and read my book around the pool, I also went for a swim. At 6:00 we went to went to watch the sunset on the look out which was pretty good and after that we went to listen to some live country music at the caravan park bar. The guy playing and singing the county music was really funny and very entertaining, he had funny songs about trades and chicken feeders. After listening to the music we went home had dinner and went to bed.

10/4/15

 Day 12

Today it was Emilies birthday and I got her some pencils and a drawing drawing journal. In the morning we drove and drove till we reached a camp ground where we did a small one hour walk and then  had lunch, after that it was a short 1 hour drive to our camp site. In the afternoon we went for a nice swim in the water hole right next to our camp site. The water was cold but it was hot  out so I went for a swim, which was very refreshing. After that we just relaxed and that was pretty much the end of the day.

30/3/15

Day 1

Today we set out at around 10:30 for the 6 hour drive to Mildura, which sounds long but compered to the length of other drives we were planing to this would be nothing. For the first hour we drove through the suburbs and went around the city heading for Mildura, After that for the Next couple of hours we saw farm land and went through some country towns admiring there lush footy grounds and beautiful rivers. From there on we started to enter the dry country or as I called it “no-mans land” but little did I know it was going to get a lot rougher than this. We started to see civilisation again as we where about an hour out from Mildura. We got to Mildura and  deviated to get to our camp site which was along  the river but couldn’t really find it so we stopped at the service station to get direction and Mum hopped out and asked the bloke in the shop for directions. All I could see from the car the car was a blur of hand movements and some muttered sounds. Mum came back to the car and didn’t really have an answer to where we needed to go so we drove down some streets and found one that said psyche pump station which was our camp site so we followed the signs but got lost because one sign said one way the other pointed the opposite so we stopped to ask a lady in her front yard for directions but little did we know this would be our undoing. The lady came up to the car to see what was going on and we asked for directions, She tried to explain but Couldn’t really helps us so she went and got her husband. Her husband came out and told how to get to our camp site. After about 5 minutes when we were about to go he opens the back and says “have you had dinner yet” I replied “no” “holy dingoes” was his response which made us all laugh. We drove down to the river laughing away at what the man had said. Down at the river we set up our JAYCO Swan outback and I got my fishing rod ready and cast into the river and put a bell on the end and left it. Mum was just getting the meat out of the bush man (our fridge in the car) and was about to start cooking when a man pulled up behind our caravan. I went around and went to see who it was, he started asking me is it you and I instantly knew who it was. Next thing I know where siting down with mystery man eating the fish and chips he bought us because he thought we where hungry. I started to talk to the man and found out his name was peter but his  nickname was Spotty. “Why are you called Spotty” I asked “because when I used to play footy some one in my team called me Spotty because I had white spots of hair on my head” he answered. After about 10 minutes when we got to know him a bit he started to tell us how he loved people and that he loved kids, This kept going on and on and in-between the dry dim sims in my mouth and Spotty telling us how much he loves people I was getting bored so I went to bed and concluded the day.

31/3/15

Day 2

We left Mildura at 9:00 and headed to Waikeri for lunch. It took about 4 hours to get there but once we where there it was really nice and we picnicked along the river watching the barge go across the river and house boats along the sides. Emilie (my sister) and I finished lunch and went to the play ground and footy field to have a look. We got back in the car and caught the barge across the river. we kept on driving for another 3 hours until we finally reached Beltana station which is an active cattle and sheep station but the have camp sites and cabins. We drove in and found a camp site and found the lady running to place who was cooking sausages on the barbecue by the pool! Emilie and I where exited because we where not expecting a pool at all so we ran back to the caravan and put on put bathers. I did a huge bomb into the pool as Emilie did one after me, we swam for about 30 minutes and then got out and had dinner. I made a fire and we all sat around it for a while and had some marsh-mellows which tasted really good after a long days drive. I brushed my teeth and hopped in my sleeping bag and went to sleep.

1/4/15

Day 3

We hit the road at 9:00 heading for Coober Pedy  the opal capital of Australia. I was exited to see the underground houses and the opal mines because I had never seen houses that were in the ground before and I had herd that Opal was very expensive so I was hoping on finding some. We were driving for about an hour and a half when I herd an aeroplane sound next to the car, I wondered what it was. Next thing I knew the car stopped and dad was out and swearing but I still didn’t know what was going on. I got out of the car to see what was going on and saw that we had a flat tyre and the wheel was all scratched, but luckily there was a convoy of cars coming down the road. The lead car stopped to ask if we needed so we said yes. A tall figure stepped out from one of the cars and approached us “I work for Toyota” Said the the man, we all breathed a sigh of relief  because we had never changed a tyre before. As we help the man change the tyre I began to talk to the lady who asked if we needed help and found out that see lives in Cheltenham and that she knows people from my mums work. About 30 minutes passed and the tyre was done and we said our goodbye and thank you and nervously drove next garage 10km away to get a new spare tyre. At the garage we bumped into the same people who helped change our tyre. We went around back and found the guy at the garage and asked if he had a tyre that would fit our car, he had one but it was an off-road one but we took it anyway. We drove to William creak pub to get a drink but they had no power because there generate was being serviced so Dad couldn’t get a coffee. Driving along the Oodnadatta track We saw many interesting things such as the pure barrenness of the land which I had never seen before and all the wild emus and cattle walking on the road it was very interesting. We entered Coober Pedy at 6:30 and it was amazing to see the doors in the hills and windows too! Our camp site was a big 4 caravan park in Coober Pedy which was quite nice so we set up camp and ate dinner.

2/4/15

Day 4 

At 10:00 we drove into Coober Pedy and went to the information centre and asked what we could do and told us some things about the town. After the information centre we went on a mine tour and an opal museum and then had lunch, after lunch we went into the underground hoping centre which was interesting and also had a look at the underground pub. We went home and got pizzas and watched Carlton play richmond on the TV at the caravan park. After we watched Carlton lose, sadly I had a shower and hit the hay.

3/4/15

Day 5

Today we left the caravan park at around 9:30 in the morning. after about 5 hours minutes of drive we arrived at Uluru resort which was where we were staying and went into reception to find out about the resort because we were staying there 4 nights. after we had set up we had a walk around the park and went for a swim in the pool at the caravan park which was so green you couldn’t see your own hand under water. In the souvenir stop there were many interesting things such as didgeridoos, boomerangs and many other interesting things. After browsing around for a while Emilie decided to buy a didgeridoo so she bought it. I returned to the caravan and found that there was no one there so I went up to the sunset look out and there was just about everyone in the whole park. The sunset was amazing with the beautiful clouds and nice colours of the sky contrasting with the sand and scrub. We walked back from the look out to our camp and had dinner which was a nice roast chicken on the barbie. 

4/4/15

Day 6

Today we drove out to Uluru to see if it was open to climb and our back up was to walk around it if it was closed. We got to Uluru to find that it was closed due to strong winds at the summit so we walked around it. The walk was 10.6 km long and took 3 and a half hours, it was an interesting walk because I got to see Uluru from all the different perspectives. after the walk we had morning tea at the cultural centre and and had a look at the shop there with Aboriginal art in it like wood sculptures of lizards and dot paintings. For lunch we ate bangers and mash which was a good energy boost after a long walk. In the afternoon we went for a swim but not in the yucky green pool but in the nice clear pool in the up market part of the resort which we snuck into and had a nice afternoon swim. Around the pool I read a book and relaxed in the nice 35 degree heat. That night we watched the sunset again which wasn’t as spectacular as last nights. 

5/4/15

Day 7

Today we went to the Olgas which are in Uluru national park, they are a group of rocks over 400 Million years old which sounds boring but I think they are more interesting than Uluru. At the Olgas we went on 2 walks the first a 2 and a half hour walk to the valley of the winds and back and then we did a 45 minute walk to a gorge. We ate lunch at the picnic area there which was very windy so everything blew away. In the afternoon we swam at the nice pool again and had a look at some shops, We also watched an Aboriginal dance group in the town centre.

6/4/15

Day 8

Today we climbed Uluru! it finally open after 2 days of being closed, thats  what we thought. The gate was open so we made our way up the very steep rock. At the start there was no chain so we were rock climbing with our hands and feet. Once we got past chicken rock it was a lot easier but a lot windier too. After 30 minutes of climbing we had a rest before we had to walk along the ridge. On the ridge it was extremely windy and very scary because it was very thin and there were people coming from the other way. after the ridge it was relatively easy and we had morning tea at the top. Going down I thought it would be hard but it was actually easter than going up. Halfway down my knees started to ache and from there on it wasn’t fun. Near the bottom my knees started to burn and it was really hard to even finish the walk/climb. Once I was down I was happy I had done it but I don’t think I would do it again. In the afternoon we went to the pool again for our final swim at Uluru resort. The last sunset at Uluru was very nice we drove out to the sunset look out to see the sunset over Uluru. The last night in Uluru was good and a 10:00 I went to bed ready for tomorrows drive. 

7/4/15

Day 9

This morning I went to one of the free activities that is run by indigenous people from the local area, today it was boomerang throwing. I walked into the town centre and waited with all the other enthusiastic people waiting as well. When the to People arrived we walked across the road and went to the throwing area. There was a pile of boomerangs big and small and a paved area. Everyone gathered round and listen to the safety talk, after the talk the younger kids lined up in 2 lines and threw the small boomerangs in pairs. After the younger kids had gone older kids and adults were called up to throw. I was first in line so I got to go first which was good because there were lots of people. I threw to boomerang and it went in a large arc and landed hit a tree but I think it would have came back. For the rest of the day we drove to kings canyon resort which took 5 hours including stops. When we arrived at the caravan park and found our site just as we see a dingo digging on it! I didn’t know what to think because i’d never seen one before but it was so calm and didn’t seem to care we were there. After the dingo had gone we set up and watched the sunset.

8/4/15

Day 10

Today was our first day in kings canyon and one to remember! Today we embarked on on a walk through the canyons of kings which would take about 3 hours. On this walk we saw many things such as sheer rock cliffs and huge stone formations teetering onto of one another. The walk was breath taking, I had never seen such a landscape and the cliffs were astonishing, it was the best walk I have ever done. On the walked we went into and extra section which was garden of eden which is a water hole at the bottom of a canyon and a sort of refuge for plants and trees. I was amazed at the amount of plants and water there because all around it were rocks and in the middle of all this at the bottom of a canyon was this literal garden full of lush green plants and enormous ferns. After the garden of eden the walk kept going along the rim of the canyon until we reached the bottom and concluded the walk. In the afternoon I went for a swim in the pool and threw my boomerang and almost lost it in the paddock. later that night when I was just about to go to bed Dad says “theres a dingo” I didn’t really get it because he was pointing right out side the caravan but then I quickly went over and saw it under the outside table! It ran off as quick as it came and there was no more dingos that night.