Champion the Wonder

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Champion the Wonder Jono, Laura, Neddy & Lil Taco
Life's a trip / Enjoy the ride! Living on Larrakia land, Darwin NT Our only firm destination is Ningaloo Reef in W.A.

We are Jono, Laura and Neddy - two humanoids and one creature of the dog variety. Currently living in the NT and sharing some of our many adventures

Our travel story started when we set off in February 2015 on an open-ended trip around Australia with our Mazda BT50 and vintage caravan. We departed from Sydney, heading clockwise, and we still have no real idea where we'll be one night to the next.

(hello, whale sharks). Before leaving for our trip we had almost zilch caravanning experience, very little mechanical knowledge, a tendency to lose any possession not tied onto our persons and Laura couldn't navigate her way out of a paper bag. Most of those statements still ring true so we're enjoying an interesting journey. We love living the simple life (it seems the simpler things get the richer we feel) and we hope that championthewonder.com will in time serve as the "suppository" of our collected wisdom; turning into a treasure trove - for us, and for anyone else who stumbles across it.

Taco thinking she was off to Burning Man as a Mad Max character. When really it was to protect her from baits and eagles...
22/08/2023

Taco thinking she was off to Burning Man as a Mad Max character. When really it was to protect her from baits and eagles. Though she did look like a sparkling fishing lure. Apparently the outfit worked because she didn't get eaten. Also the life jacket for waterworld activities kept her a float. Who would have thought we would end up with a little dog that needs so many outfit changes. 🤷‍♀️🤦

Sunsets on the road hit different
15/08/2023

Sunsets on the road hit different

A magical time in the East Kimberley
04/07/2023

A magical time in the East Kimberley

Stuck in the mud! Going to miss the wet season. Thanks Anton for coming to visit. I wanted him to have at least one sket...
10/05/2023

Stuck in the mud! Going to miss the wet season. Thanks Anton for coming to visit. I wanted him to have at least one sketchy expirence and I think we delivered. Being stuck on a isolated track and constantly digging out 4 cars for over 6 hours was definitely something. The positivity of our crew and constant can do attitude made some rather bad situations a laugh. We all got out relatively unscathed and learnt a whole bunch about boggings!

The crazy textures, colours and patterns of the NT wetlands flying from Darwin to Ramingining in a tiny little plane. An...
26/03/2023

The crazy textures, colours and patterns of the NT wetlands flying from Darwin to Ramingining in a tiny little plane. An absolute privilege!

A day to remember! After waking up on a island in   three mates set off at sunrise and head 65kms further out to sea. Th...
11/11/2022

A day to remember! After waking up on a island in three mates set off at sunrise and head 65kms further out to sea. The water visability was incredible, the fish were a plenty. We were running off adrenaline the entire day and didn't even think to eat or drink enough water. We even forgot to call our beautiful partners who were still on the island at dark. We now know to use the sat phone much earlier to prevent unnessassary panic. (Liz you are a very special human to allow us this amazing pass on your birthday. We owe you big time!)

Another dream come true moment. It was an absolute privilege to explore this bit of coastline. It's been a while since w...
26/10/2022

Another dream come true moment. It was an absolute privilege to explore this bit of coastline. It's been a while since we have done any beach driving and Cape Arnhem did not disappoint.
The last three awesome drone shots in the sequence by
Thanks for the good times & This trip had it all!

You'll never never know if You never never go!
30/08/2022

You'll never never know if You never never go!

One of our favourite things to do: Hike unmarked tracks in search of crowd-free waterholes. When you take a gamble on a ...
08/08/2022

One of our favourite things to do: Hike unmarked tracks in search of crowd-free waterholes. When you take a gamble on a 'short cut' over a 'little' escarpment under the blistering Top End sun, it's good to be surrounded by strong-minded weapons who don't give up. This trip tested us, but the peaks far outweighed the troughs. 100% love the crew we did this with.

The perfect setup dosnt exist. Everything is a compromise. Over the years we have changed our travelling setup numerous ...
10/07/2022

The perfect setup dosnt exist. Everything is a compromise. Over the years we have changed our travelling setup numerous times. We love changing things up and building up new travel rigs to experience what this great country has to offer. Introducing Bronson - a 2005 Landcruiser. We have opted to go a rooftop tent from the legends at .tourer and an awesome freestanding D270 awning from . This was our first lil trip trying out the new setup and we are stoked with how things are progressing with this new rig.

We will be selling our beloved Troopy shortly. If anybody is interested please DM for details. ✌

The bestest boyđź“·
04/07/2022

The bestest boy

đź“·

22/06/2022
An overnight canoe trip through the heart of Jawoyn country has been a bucket list item we have wanted to tick off since...
22/06/2022

An overnight canoe trip through the heart of Jawoyn country has been a bucket list item we have wanted to tick off since before arriving in the NT. We slightly underestimated the sheer effort of the 'portage' of our canoes over a few rock beds, but sharing the experience with a crew of legends made it easier. We have said it before and will say it again. We love the NT!

It's all one big adventure
08/06/2022

It's all one big adventure

The last hurrah - Before we ended up in the topend we were on a open ended trip around Aus. We stopped in at the bottom ...
07/04/2022

The last hurrah - Before we ended up in the topend we were on a open ended trip around Aus. We stopped in at the bottom end and surfed everyday for over a month. Little did I know at the time but this would be the last time chasing waves. Today we chase barra and waterholes instead. Never know where life will throw you and going with the flow is something we have been doing for the best part of 7 years. Where the wind will take us only time will tell. Hopefully to more waves soon!
Link for a little video of these sessions is in our bio. 🤙 Boogie on

~ Midweek dreaming ~
09/03/2022

~ Midweek dreaming ~

Kakadu and its ancient landscapes. To sit and absorb some of these places with no one else around is a humbling experien...
24/02/2022

Kakadu and its ancient landscapes. To sit and absorb some of these places with no one else around is a humbling experience.

2021 was the year we got married. It was the year that we felt so far from our families and friends from years gone past...
31/12/2021

2021 was the year we got married. It was the year that we felt so far from our families and friends from years gone past. This year you really had to make the most of now. To appreciate people around you. We met so many new legends and cemented friendships for a lifetime. Plans change and you just have to go with the flow. Live for the now because tomorrow is uncertain. Who knows what 2022 has in store, hopefully aliens!

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Our Story

We are Jono, Laura and Neddy: two thirty-somethings and a dog on our second long-term adventure around Oz.

On our last 19-month trip, we luxed out in a beautiful 1960s caravan with an innerspring mattress and oven. This time, we’re in a troopcarrier and reckon we’ll love the sidestep to greater mobility even though it comes with fewer home comforts.

Before leaving for our first trip, we had almost zilch caravanning experience, very little mechanical knowledge, a tendency to lose any possession not tied onto our persons and Laura couldn’t navigate her way out of a paper bag.