Week 16 | Back on the Horse.....

SNAPSHOT

Once I got over my sulking about leaving Perth we launched into a surprisingly brilliant week! At first we couldn't settle at all - tolerance levels were rock bottom and I began to wonder if the (mostly) harmonious family that navigated their way around 3/4 of Australia had been a dream?

Eventually we started to find our groove again.

But I'm scared.

When we started this trip, our goal as parents was to reconnect as a family - an insanely demanding lifestyle had got WAY out of control - our parenting was reactive not proactive and it didn't feel like there was a damn thing we could do about it. We wanted to resestablish boundaries and values.

A pipe dream? Perhaps.

But it was our pipe dream.......heading into Perth we were feeling pretty confident that we had achieved what we had set out to do, and naively didn't even consider that these changes weren't permanent........three weeks back in the real world of personal space and wifi, shopping and socializing, I witnessed us unravelling unconsciously at great speed - and I am so glad (and as previously discussed - SCARED!)

Because I now have a more realistic expectation of what to expect when we get home. And can put some things in place to reduce the unravelling!!! Starting with changing that bloody wifi password 😂😂

WHERE ON EARTH ARE WE?

Big Valley Farmstay, Margaret River,

Western Australia

After a taste of normality, we climbed back into our van and quickly discovered that someone must have thrown it through the tumble dryer - our van had shrunk. Definitely. It seemed so foreign - we were bumping into one another - whatever spot I needed to be in, someone else was always standing there!!

So the Big Valley Campsite in Margaret River was a perfect respite to sort out our sorry behinds!! Located in the rolling hills, with farm animals, large sites, power and water, close to vineyards and the township we decided to base ourselves here for a few nights and do day trips down to Augusta. Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse was incredible, Jewel Caves tour was worth every cent and you can get a package deal with Lighthouse. We visited Colonial Brewery for a paddle, Xanadu Winery to replenish our stocks in style......Hamelin Bay was on the girls wish list - apparently the Manta Ray feeding is an amazing experience but alas none came in so we just blew the cobwebs away in the beach for an hour or so! Amaze-In maze and mini golf/outdoor games a great place to go have some fun (although pricey at $100 entry) so make the most of it and go for the day and take a BBQ 😜

The Southwest of W.A is so special - you could spend weeks here and still not cover everything so we were thrilled to fit in as much as we did!

Walpole | W.A

We farewelled Margaret River and enjoyed the scenic drive down to Walpole stopping in iconic Pemberton for morning tea - can't get over the humidity down here! Didn't expect it but lovely to have some warmth before crossing the apparently "freezing" Nullabor.....the forests are breathtaking and serene, reminded me very much of New Zealand!

Pulling into Walpole we were flying by the seat of our pants - still very budget conscious we weren't sure where to stay but thanks to the TAWK (Travel Aussie with Kids) program we found a caravan park where kids stay free for up to two nights! Bargain! Located right on the water is Rest Point Caravan Park - it's definitely the place to stay and located really close to Peaceful Bay and the famous Valley of the Giants tree top walk.

Albany | W.A

Leigh and I had visited Albany 17 years ago and it has certainly grown! We decided not to stay the night but a bucket list item for Leigh was to visit the ANZAC Memorial Museum which was set on top of a hill with spectacular views of whales breaching in the bay.....interactive for kids and adults alike it is a must see!

We left a Albany to free camp for a couple of nights, namely at Fraser River and Munglinup Roadhouse!

Esperance | W.A

Well, this is officially our last big stop before attacking the Nullabor.......we need groceries, water and a rest! Not particularly in that order! It's never fails to surprise us how the weather can shape your first impressions of a town - we arrived to squally winds, rough sea, torrents of rain and ....well it was just cold!! Booking in one night, thinking that might do us, we quickly changed our minds once the sun came out and the beauty of Esperance unfolded .....you will just have to see the photos below to see why! I can't imagine being the first settlers to arrive here over 200 years ago!

BEST PART vs WORST PART

🐣Liv

Best part: The ANZAC Memorial was the highlight of my week - we got given a card at the start with a persons name on it and got to follow their story as we walked around!

Worst Part: No worst part this week but I am looking forward to seeing my friends!

🐴 Maggie

Best Part: Best part of my week was Jewel Cave - they turned the lights off once we were at the bottom so we could see how the first explorers would have felt - so scary!!

Worst part: I don't like that it is getting so cold!! I wish we could live near the beach......in warm weather (did you get that Leigh?) 😜

🏌️Leigh

Best part: Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse and Jewel Caves......surprised how interesting they were!

Worst part: Still haven't caught a bloody fish 😡

🌺 Rana

Best part: I absolutely love being surprised and I think it's suffice to say that Western Australia has done that ten fold - I didn't expect the diversity in landscape and beauty of the coastlines - my favourite state so far! We are feeling quite relaxed heading into our last four weeks with the normal feelings of apprehension about arriving home and settling back in!

Worst part: The budget.....always the bloody budget hah hah hah

LESSONS LEARNT:

📝 Don't judge a town by its weather 😂

📝 Beer tastes much better out of glass than a can 🍺

📝 So important to invest back into the towns that are RV friendly! Ravensthorpe being one of them! Everything we needed there in easy to find locations woo hoo!

NEXT DESTINATION:

Norseman, the infamous Nullabor followed by Coffin Bay and Port Lincoln!

The road thus travelled for Week 16

Big Valley Farmstay - perfect for the Stollery's!!

Hamelin Bay - no manta rays today but still enjoyed the beautiful wee beach!

Jewel Caves, Augusta! Hard to choose one Cave from the many choices but this was amazing and great for kids!

It was an aMAZEing race to the middle - Maggie and I won and giggled on the tower watching and listening to Leigh and Liv fighting their way to the middle 😂