A Lazy Lap of Oz

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Alice Springs, NT
A Lazy Lap of Oz

We are a family of 4 doing a Lazy Lap of Oz since 2019! I guess our adventures began many many years ago when we met on our scout leader training course.

I guess for what we were doing a love of the outdoors was a necessity. We hit it off pretty quickly and soon we were caving, camping and 4wding all around NSW. Our camping adventures became pretty serious post kids when we purchase our Adventure Camper and started planning some more adventurous trips. We did a 10 day trip to Birdsville to meet the guys from 4WD Action, but this only gave us the ta

ste of red dirt and want of more. In 2012 we started planning on the idea of going to Cape York. At this point the kids were only 2.5 and 1. We soon realised that travelling that distance and for a period of 6 weeks we needed the kids to be out of nappies and for them to be a bit older to understand some of the dangers associated with the trip. We now aimed for July 2014. After a lot of planning and saving we booked our 6week trip to the cape. Well it didn't last that long, in fact the trip only ended up being 10 days because as we were heading to Old Laura we hit a severe ditch and bent the chassis of our car. Trip Over! This was all made worse by finding out the next morning that my grandfather has passed away. So we headed for home. After the disappointment of our much awaited trip we turned to one another one Sunday morning in late 2014 and said "our bad luck can't last forever can it?". It was on this day that we decided that we would work towards packing up and hitting the road indefinitely. Work, live and learn on the road. A dream was born. We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids) counting down to when we hit the road. Thanks for joining us on the adventure...

29/11/2023

1 year since we arrived home!

So much has changed but so much is still the same!

Changes
- Kids are loving school, mostly
- the adults are loving their jobs
- we are enjoying small adventures and being close to friends and family.
- it is so much easier to do the shopping in the corolla than the truck 🤣

Same
- we are still living in the van . . . House adventures coming in 2024.
- we still love the outdoors, sleeping with the windows open and sometimes ditch the van for the swags.
- still can't get past having the cupboards stocked in case we go remote 🫣

2024 will be a big year for us in transitioning back to "normal life".

Want to know about post travel life . . . We love to share so just hit us up!

10/04/2023

5 months since we finished full time travel . . . . And it's time to hit the road again! here we come!

04/01/2023

4 years of red dust washed off the girl! She looks shiny and new!

Also gave inside a birthday with a clean oven, rangehood and the bathroom is sparkly!

-clean

23/12/2022

After 1379 days and about 70 000km we are home from our adventure around Australia!

We are so happy to be home. To hug our families. The kids to go to school. And for us adults it is back to work because we are broke 🤑 😂.

We are so thankful for the support of our family and friends over the last almost 4 years while we adventured around oz! You know who your real friends are after that amount of time away from home.

We look forward to catching up with everyone over the festive season! 🍻🥂

Our advice is . . . If you REALLY want to travel Australia long term you will make it happen. Just get out there and do it! If we have inspired one person to travel or explore a little more, then sharing our story has done its job!

This is not the end it is just the beginning! Where will the next adventure be?

19.02.2019 - 29.11.2022

23/12/2022

Time to head for home . . . . .

A few pics from along the way including the flood waters at Wilcannia.

The trip is almost over!

23/12/2022

Views from the top!

19/12/2022

Hiking into Wipeona Pound

You can save yourself about 4km on the return journey from the campgrpund by booking onto the Wipeona shuttle bus. With kid it is so work the small fee.

We then hiked from the shuttle into the pound across cute bridges and then up the steep climb to the lookouts.

As you can see the kids don't always love hiking . . . Eliza took a little motivation on this one.

19/12/2022

Sunset before the rain vs after the rain.

19/12/2022

The old Bullock Cueing Yards

It was great to see some restoration works by the locals so that visitors like us can get a sense of how this great land was used before our time!

18/12/2022

Flinders Ranges under moody skies!

18/12/2022

Prairie Hotel, Flinders Ranges. Home of the feral feast.

Although we passed on the feast, we really enjoyed the Roo Burger!

16/12/2022

Parachilna sculptures . . . . Very cool sculptures but the main course was inside the close by Hotel!

15/12/2022

Parachilna Gorge and Glass House Lookout!

Such a beautiful area. I could hide away and camp in this Gorge for days. The photos don't do it justice.

15/12/2022

The Great Wall of China . . . Flinders Style!

11/12/2022

Sunset over Wilpena Pound!

11/12/2022

Finally warm enough to put on a pair of swimmers! Although not warm enough to get in the water 🤣🤣.

10/12/2022

Flinders Ranges here we come!

10/12/2022

We finished our visit to Whyalla by seeing it from above!

10/12/2022

HMAS Whyalla (I) was one of sixty Australian Minesweepers (commonly known as corvettes) built during World War II in Australian shipyards (like Whyalla's) as part of the Commonwealth Government's wartime shipbuilding programme. Twenty (including Whyalla (I)) were built on Admiralty order but manned and commissioned by the Royal Australian Navy.

During the war these ships conducted hazardous work removing mines from the ocean in Australia, New Guinea and the Philippines.

After the war the vessels arrived in Melbourne on 14 November 1947. Whyalla (I) was handed over to her new owner and renamed Rip, being employed as a lights maintenance vessel.

She ceased service as Rip in 1984. When the Whyalla City Council became aware that the ship was to sold as scrap, successful negotiations resulted in the Council purchasing her for $5000. She returned to Whyalla under her own power later in 1984.

Between February and April 1987, Whyalla (I) was slowly moved up the slipway from which she was launched in 1941, and then relocated two kilometres inland and placed on permanent foundations, becoming the centrepiece for the Whyalla Maritime Museum which was officially opened on 29 October 1988. Whyalla (I) is one of only two Bathurst Class preserved as museum ships, the other being HMAS Castlemaine in Williamstown, Victoria.

Make sure you book a tour of the ship when you visit.

10/12/2022

Whyalla Steelworks Tour!

The 1000 hectare Whyalla Steelworks site is significant to the history and the future of Whyalla. We heard the story behind over a century of significant Australian iron and steel-making history and learnt how it is produced today into over 90 different grades of steel.

Such an interesting tour, especially seeing half the people on the tour were from our home town of Newcastle, which is also well know for its Steelmaking history.

09/12/2022

There is so much to do at the Wyhalla Information Centre. We started the day with a visit to the Maratime Mesuem where we leant about all kinds of shipping in the area and how Whyalla contributed.

We also watched a film about how the Whyalla Ship (first photo) was relocated here . . . Over 2 km from the ocean!

08/12/2022

THE GREATEST SEAFOOD PLATTER EVER!

There are no words to describe how amazing this platter was! None of that fired stuff here! Just beautifully prepared tapas with some amazing new things for us all to try!

Oyster HQ Coffin Bay

08/12/2022

As the sun broke through the clouds we ventured into the pristine waters of Coffin Bay to learn about and taste the amazing Coffin Bay Oysters.

Our key learnings from the amazing tour was;
- that Aussies have developed the awesome basket systems that has allowed the farmers to triple their production and grow better oysters (as the Aussie govt aren't allowing the construction of any new oyster leases)
- oysters live for about 14 years . . . See me holding Jerry. He is is his prime! Lol
- Amy is crap at shucking oysters!
- our appetite for oysters will never be curbed.
- there is a lot of work that goes into growing oysters!

If you ever in the area jump on a tour . . . And make sure you book for the seafood platter for after! See our next post for the spread! 🤤🤤🤤

07/12/2022

When in Coffin Bay eat . . . . . . Free Range Pig! 🤔

Minniribbie Farm is dedicated to producing tasty, succulent, 100% free-range pork for South Australia from the famous heritage breed Berkshire pig. Although Berkshires are a black pig, the flesh is still a pale pink, moist, delicious meat.

We can vouch for this amazing meat. Our chops were amazing!

06/12/2022

Pretty sure this Year 6 student would spend all his days fishing rather than any kind of book learning!

This boy had had the most amazing adventure over the last 3.5 years and has proven that give the opportunity to learn in his own way he retains much more information. Anyone who crosses Jai's path is bound to have an interesting conversation about many myriad of things, very few of them learnt from a book!

If you have a kid like mine please give them the opportunity to learn in their own way, and if it isn't homeschooling then find a school that will support them in their style of learning!

05/12/2022

04/12/2022

The view of Coffin Bay! We have to be honest . . . We were really only here for the oysters!

04/12/2022

Coffin Bay NP, SA

Coffin Bay isn't just about oysters . . . There are so many beautiful places to explore.

03/12/2022

Emu Dadda's and their baby chicks!

Emus are champions of paternal care. After helping to prepare a nest, the female lays 5 to 15 large dark-green eggs, then promptly wanders off to breed again. The nest is a platform on the ground of trampled grass 1m to 2m in diameter. The male then incubates eggs for 55 days. He doesn’t eat, drink or defecate, and rarely leaves the nest during this time, losing up to 8kg in the process.
He stays with the young for two years, defending them and teaching them how to find food. While they walk and forage they softly whistle to each other. The chicks can reproduce at 18 months. Emus live for 5 to 10 years in the wild.

Emus also love to swim, flopping into the water and soaking their feathers. These two had just had a bath as we approached! The second photo is in the middle of town where you will often see many emu's looking for their next feel.

03/12/2022

Woolshed Cavern

This cave is so worth drive in. Absolutely amazing cave, and the clear waters are just spectacular!

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Alice Springs, NT

Website

http://www.instagram.com/lazylapofoz

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Videos

Views from the top! #flindersranges #southaustralia #hiddengem #travelinaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia

Wanna Sand Dunes, Lincoln National Park, SA This was so much fun. The kids had an absolute ball. We had had rain the night before so the surface was firm, allowing the kids to head down the hills even faster! If your not smiling after this video . . . You might need to head out and catch a sand dune yourself and have some good old fashion fun! 😉 #southaustralia #hiddengem #travelinaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia #beachlife

The view from the top! @waparkswildlife #hiddengem #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #travelaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa

Esperance Speedway! No matter where we are we find some kind of racing! #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australiagram #travellingfamilies

Paradise! #sunset #hiddengem #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #travelaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids

This one was well worth the walk! #hiking #hiddengem #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa

The Dave Evan's Bicentennial Tree is the highest treetop lookout in the world . . . AND WE CLIMBED IT! The stat's.... - 65m tall at the top lookout - 182 climbing pegs to the top - 360 degree views at the top - used to spot fires in the summer season across the Karri forest. Not for the faint hearted . . . But so worth it! P.s. my legs were still sore from the "intense" climb a few days later 😵‍💫 #hiddengem #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #travelaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa #treeclimbing

This was an awesome high ropes adventure! #forestadventures #hiddengem #westisbest #westernaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids @forestadventures_sw #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa

Waterpark fun and a visit to the Swan River! @barravanning_oz Barravanning Oz #westisbest #westernaustralia #australiagram #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia

Lancelin Sand Dunes . . . Fun for all! #hiddengem #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #isuzu #travelaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa

The Aquarium, Quobba . . . Our best snokling adventure. We even swam with some sharks! #snorkling #snorklingtrip #fish #hiddengem #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #travelaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa

While we were at the Space Centre we got to pretend we were astronauts on our way to the moon! #hiddengem #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #travelaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa

Time to leave Nigaloo Station, across Yardie Creek and to explore the National Park. We weren't blessed with great weather so didn't get to jump in the water, but these places would be amazing on a calm sunny day! @bushtracker_caravans #ningalooreef #ningaloo #ningaloocoast #hiddengem #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #isuzu #bushtracker #bushtrackercaravans #travelaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa

Lefroy Bay . . . The view from above! #ningaloostation #ningalooreef #ningaloo #ningaloocoast #hiddengem #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #isuzu #bushtracker #bushtrackercaravans #travelaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa

Here crabby crabby crabby! #ningalooreef #ningaloo #ningaloocoast #hiddengem #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #travelaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa

Oxer Lookout . . . The joining of the gorges! #hiddengem #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #travelaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa

Views over the Fortescue River! #westisbest #hiddengem #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #isuzu #travelaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa

The many river crossing of the Fortescue River! We are loving exploring in the new truck! It is taking us so many more places than the Silverado! #hiddengem #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #isuzu #travelaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa #offroad #exploring #pilbaralife #pilbaraliving #nps

Welcome to Mining Country! Weighing in at about 35000 tonnes. These trains take over 2km to come to a stop. Thanks to the train driver for giving the kids a toot! In the background you can also see the salt production in process. #hiddengem #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #travelaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa #train #ironoretrain #porthedland

Hello Paradise! 🍹🏝 #hiddengem #westisbest #travelinaustralia #westernaustralia #australia #australiagram #travellingfamilies #travellingaustralia #isuzu #bushtracker #bushtrackercaravans #travelaustralia #seeaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #travellingfamilyaustralia #seeaustralia_wa #eightymilebeach

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Our Story

I guess our adventures began many many years ago when we met on our scout leader training course. I guess for what we were doing a love of the outdoors was a necessity. We hit it off pretty quickly and soon we were caving, camping and 4wding all around NSW. Our camping adventures became pretty serious post kids when we purchase our Adventure Camper and started planning some more adventurous trips. We did a 10 day trip to Birdsville to meet the guys from 4WD Action, but this only gave us the taste of red dirt and want of more. In 2012 we started planning on the idea of going to Cape York. At this point the kids were only 2.5 and 1. We soon realised that travelling that distance and for a period of 6 weeks we needed the kids to be out of nappies and for them to be a bit older to understand some of the dangers associated with the trip. We now aimed for July 2014. After a lot of planning and saving we booked our 6week trip to the cape. Well it didn't last that long, in fact the trip only ended up being 10 days because as we were heading to Old Laura we hit a severe ditch and bent the chassis of our car. Trip Over! This was all made worse by finding out the next morning that my grandfather has passed away. So we headed for home. After the disappointment of our much awaited trip we turned to one another one Sunday morning in late 2014 and said "our bad luck can't last forever can it?". It was on this day that we decided that we would work towards packing up and hitting the road indefinitely. Work, live and learn on the road. A dream was born. We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids) counting down to when we hit the road. Thanks for joining us on the adventure...