Birthdays on the road

Brenden, Akira and Ahliyah all celebrated their birthday's on the road recently. Luckily most roadhouses sold SaraLee chocolate cupcakes for me to put a bundle together for decoration and candles.

Gyuto monks of Tibet

Some friends of ours at the caravan park kindly told us that the Gyuto monks of Tibet had one last day at the Darwin Supreme Court. We headed down the following day. One of the monks was producing amazing art from coloured sand. My 3 year old tried to push her barbie doll through the doorway of this paper temple the monks had built and damaged it so they had to fix it, without complaint ofcourse. I brought some prayer beads made from the nuns, a silver ring which turns sending love to all, some symbols which chime for protecting your family and a magnet of the dalai lama. We received a blessing from the monk before we left.

Darwin Freespirit resort

Our new home for the moment is Darwin Freespirit Resort. I love it here. Not only do they have a pool that my kids can stand in which my five year old has learned to dive under the water but they make cocktails to die for and have a kids club where they do anything from face painting to handling baby crocs to learning how to surf, three activities per day and all for free! The meals either by the pool or in Elements Bistro are well priced and to a great standard. There is three pools onsite and the camp kitchens are great.

Darwin Greyhounds

We went to the darwin greyhounds on Friday night as my stepmums workplace had a social event there. Had very cheap meals and my partner and I ended up sharing the steak was so big. The chips were delicious. We didnt place any bets on the dogs but it was enjoyable to watch them chase the fluffy rabbit round the track in fact I found it more enjoyable than the horse races.

Darwin, Wave Pool

Went to the wave pool situated on Darwin Waterfront precinct. Our family had heaps of fun. Where can you go for $16 for a full day family pass and have a total blast. There is another little paddle pool which my 3 year old loved. The wave pool is surrounded by coffee shops, cafe's, bars, shops and beauty parlours. You can also go to the lagoon next door which is free and is water from the ocean netted off and scooped of jellyfish daily. If you dont mind the odd fish brushing against you this is also a great option. We parked in the multi car park next to the hotel which cost us $4. It is free for the first two hours. This is really cheap under cover parking.

My hand at hair dressing

I turned my hand at hairdressing in order to save a penny. Not a bad job either i might add. Ahliyah looks cute with her new bob.

Katherine, NT

Katherine has been the first time on our journey that I have felt like we are somewhere else a different world. Stayed at Low line BIG4 Katherine holiday park and went to dinner at the Fig Tree outdoor cafe which is inside the park. Had a lovely chicken curry and a mango daquiri to die for, hubby had a steak which was tender and kids had fish n chips. It is all outdoors at the cafe which is situated around a majestic fig tree with hanging lights and candles and music playing, very friendly staff. Highly recommend. We were going to get dessert but the lil midgies loved me so we finished up. Could of easily stayed here a week. Went to the hot springs for a swim this morning and you need to experience this at least once in your lifetime it was magical. Before I forget saw my first cane toad last night, ugly looking things they are.

Victoria River Roadhouse

We fuelled up in Victoria River roadhouse today and thought id mention that you can get scenic flights from here that would be spectacular with views of the gorges and river. You can also park your van overnight for $25 for a powered sight. It would give a spectacular sunset im sure with all the ranges in sight.

Ivanhoe resort, Kununurra

Stayed two nights at Ivanhoe resort in Kununurra. It was nice temperature in mid 30's. Ivanhoe had a beautiful pool that we lived in.  It's the first pool that wasn't freezing temperature. We decided not to venture out as unless you had the money to pay for scenic flights, tours, boat cruises there wasn't alot to see in the town for a family. The Ivanhoe was nice enough to sit and relax. The managers were lovely and give a warm welcome.

Warmun Roadhouse

We stopped to fuel up at Warmun Roadhouse and just had to take a photo of the aboriginal art on the rocks.

Leycesters Rest

Saturday the 10th August we stayed at a free rest stop called Leycesters Rest. This was a nice little spot which was built in honour of a 13 year old Halls Creek boy called Leycester who was killed in a single vehicle road accident. His favourite saying was "no act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted". We took the kids for a walk around and chatted to some other fellow caravaners and went looking for wood to build a fire. Bren did a fire for us and the kids loved it, I really enjoyed it too. It felt like we were back to basics. A few marshmellows wouldn't of gone astray. Must remember that next time. Off to Kununurra today.

Fitzroy River Lodge, Fitzroy Crossing

Friday 9th August we stayed at Fitzroy River Lodge in Fitzroy Crossing. This was a real suprise as the initial drive into Fitzroy Crossing didn't look much. It had a lovely bar area and restaurant. We had a pizza for dinner in the lounge bar and it was lovely. In the morning I heard birds that I'd never heard before, sounded like a monkey. Apparently it is a Kingfisher bird, looks a bit like a kookaburra but has blue on it. Only stayed one night here but could of happily stayed for a few more. The pool area is lovely too but we didn't get time for that.

Richard the crab

My eldest daughter was given a crab in a shell from some people when we were at Sandfire Roadhouse. Since the people hadnt asked us first we let her keep it while working on her that we had to set it free in the ocean, it's home. A caravan was no place for a crab and I had no desire to be disolving salt into water every day. We convinced her that Cable beach in Broome was the spot. Im very proud of how well she handled letting it go, she had named him Richard. Funny since we dont know a Richard

Broome

Broome was superb. The beach is a perfect shade of blue. Its the perfect place to simply just be. We stayed at Cable Beach caravan park which is remarkably peaceful considering it has 500 sites. The pool is cold but once you get in you warm up. Good thing we had swim vests for the little ones as there is a deep end and an even deeper end. The beach was a seven minute walk so that was great for me. Apparently the stingers dont come out till about September so we missed that. Off to Fitzroy crossing today.

Buckets

My mother in law gave the girls a bucket each as my little one wasn't liking showers. It's been by far the greatest idea if you have little ones. Even cooling them off on a hot day in the Aussie outback.

Sandfire Roadhouse

Wow what a diamond in the rough. We just had the best time at Sandfire Roadhouse. There was a bull, camel, peacocks, geese, emu, kangaroos a rooster plus brightly butterflies. The outdoor eating space is full of old Australian memorabilia. I loved the mango trees. For $30 a night for a powered sight this was the best value sight so far that we have stayed. We were very suprised and so glad we didnt miss it.

Cooke Point Holiday Park, Port Hedland

We spent one night at Cooke Point Holiday park in Port Hedland. It was such a lovely spot. Highly recommend this park. Had a lovely swimming pool, staff were nice and we were even treated to a concert on sunday night. Had a lovely swim in the pool. The girls had a dance at the concert. We even had a visit from Uncle George who works up here.