Cookies all aussie adventures

26/03/2024

📍Cowell

Originally our plan was to pin it from Flinders across to Streaky (pronounced “We’re Streaky!!!”😆) but opted to take the scenic route.

Quick look at Whyalla then down to Cowell to check out the silo art and on this day… cool down at the free and amazing water park!

After mandatory silo art 📸 were taken, we headed to the water park to cool down and let the RIG 🚗 cool down too and Charlie 😤🤬😂😂 if I recall correctly 🤔😬 (love u babe 😘) or was it me….. nah 🙋‍♂️

Whilst getting the swimming gear ready we hear a “it’s the cookies”, from the water park…. To see the on the slides! ✅ always good to see some friendly faces and the kids had a blast catching up and cooling down!

Few Milton mangoes at the Franklin Harbour Hotel and Oscar’s fav…..hot chips 🍟 and we continued on our way towards Streaky once things had cooled down a bit.

Only made it to Elliston, by 10.30pm was a long day on the road, so decided to pull up stumps here for the night and get to Streaky next day.

22/03/2024

📍Blinman

Arrived at Blinman after exploring the Flinders, got the local delicacy of Pie and Chips 😂 sadly we tapped out and couldn’t fit a traditional Cornish Miners pastry made up of savoury and one end being sweet apples… desert and main all in one 😍

The pastry strap over the top was actually used as a handle to hold the food as the miners were filthy and washing your hands 100m underground wasn’t an option… not to mention the traces of arsenic in the mine.

Cornish miners being very superstitious beloved leaving scraps on the floor would keep the resident ghosts of deceased miners happy and bid them safe passage. Little did they know the resident mice and rats were well fed!!

Tough gig, they spent 3 months on a boat to get to Adelaide, then another month on a rough as guts road by horse n cart to get to Blinman which had no housing and they had to live in tents. Worked 6 days a week and Sundays were for church. When boys turned 14 they could work underground.

It was usually superficial injuries that caused death, infected teeth, minor injuries not attended to. Tough livin.

The mine tour was fantastic, thoroughly enjoyed and informative.

22/03/2024

📍Flinders Ranges - Twiddle Top Lookout

Mid arvo hike up to Twiddle Top Lookout. Hot as hell, flys, plus add the whinging kids into the mix (heaven 🙄😂)but totally worth the trek. Cracking views of Rawnsley Bluff ⛰️

Had a fire first night…. Cause if you can… why not 🤷‍♂️ 😂 despite being pretty bloody hot.

Coupe of visits to the Woolshed for happy hour 🍻🥃😎 as local emus just cruise around the local Roos 😂

Magical spot

22/03/2024

📍Wauraltee Beach

Amazing free beach camp 🤩🌅

On the western side of Yorke Peninsula. Accessed via about 5k of corrugation, then a slightly steep beach entry. Caravan got a bit of a sway up and Charlie thought it looked like it was going to roll over 😬

Thankfully Charlie got this amazing feat on camera… until she didn’t…. Cause she forgot to press record 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ (the little red button on the 🛑📲 😑😑 ) 😂 😂😂

Plenty of spots on the beach to park, water was amazing! Heaps of snorkelling and stand up paddle boarding out to the reef.

Daily visitors included resident Sting Rays, Dolphins.

Only had 1 blown out day, which was our last - so stoked with this spot! Van full of sand, but we loved it 🤙

22/03/2024

📍Dolphin Beach

Windy day exploring from Stenhouse Bay. Only about 25mins away on a graded gavel road. Cracking spot, intent was to get to Shell Beach but came across this one first. So many amazing little protected beaches on this Peninsula.

15/03/2024

📍 Rapid Bay (2)

Little bit more Rapid Bay 📸 spam 😜

Had a crack at a damper on the Weber, but just not the same as on the 🔥 🔥

Ruby and Oscar got some fishing practise in on the beach 🎣safe to say no fish were hurt here 😆

Up until Rapid we had battled not to get Starlink…. But after an hour of holding my phone in the air and standing in the same spot…. We caved and got it. Game changer 📡🛜✅

So many peaceful early morning ☕️☕️ listening to the gentle waves crashing on the shore. Pure spot 🏝️🥰🥰🥰

This is where if felt like our holiday began. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

15/03/2024

📍Rapid Bay 😍

Early days in the trip, but we loved Rapid Bay 🥰🥰🥰

Great campground, beachfront spots, other spots back from the beach, shade, good amenities block. Nice stroll to the jetty for a fish, or walk to the caves for an explore.

Water here was crystal clear. Plenty of snorkelling and swimming done ✅ Heaps of smaller coves and beach areas around the headland, accessible via SUP (which we subsequently bought at next stop 😆).

Bumped into an old work colleague here and a couple from Grafton and Emerald Beach (small world!)

Would defo come back here. It feels like you are worlds away… not less than an hour or so away from major centres.

Had one windy day here, otherwise we jagged the weather 👌


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12/03/2024

📍Mt Gambier Visitor Centre

What a great Info Centre this was!

Oscar & Ruby had a go at the quiz and won their special postcards only available for those who complete the quiz. Great idea as it gets the kids to read the plaques and take in a bit of the local info.

Also some interesting info underground caves.

Apparently some of the earliest signs/evidence of mankind scribe/artwork/drawings can be found around this area.

05/03/2024

📍South Australia Border Crossing

Pronounced…. “South Stray-a”

^^shortly followed by a gentle pigeon sound - for all the Bill Lawry and 12th Man aficionado’s

Pretty pumped to make the border today, kids first time on SA soil.

Ditched all the fresh fruit n veges here, got the shot 📸 then continued onto Mt. Gambier

05/03/2024

📍 Port Campbell Information Centre

💥Have to say - one of the best/coolest info centres, Oscar and Ruby got to look at different sands and limestone under the microscope 🔬🏖️

One of the sand samples taken from the beaches near where the Loch Ard had wrecked contained small coloured “sand” fragments that were unidentified, which turned out to be parts of the original wreck, glass that had smashed and over many years has been worn down to sand size particles.

The displays were amazing with artefacts from the wreck.

Turns out they liked Brandy 🥃 on the Loch Ard, having 8827 gal in bulk and 1920 gal in cases…. Yet only 125 gal of Rum!!!😋 no wonder they crashed the thing! 😂

We also finally found our travel passports 📚for the kids here! So we got stamped up and headed off for the next couple spots


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02/03/2024

Bit more info from 📍 Cape Otway Lighthouse 🔦📚

29/02/2024

Round Oz🇦🇺 in beers

VIC: Melbourne Bitter

Notes: Can or longneck only

Preferably consumed at 📍 Ponyfish Island or anywhere for that matter.

Wet, cold, tastes like beer, 10/10 🫱🏻‍🫲🏿

Knocked a few back whilst visiting Tim being part of the original high calibre facilitator scheme created at work (picture Tom Cruise and Goose from TopGun, minus the aircraft, really just 2 blokes dribbling about business credit) 1 of 2 of the greatest possible facilitating experts to be produced from Docklands.

Good to catch up and taste some of Melbournes finest 🍻🫱🏻‍🫲🏿😂

26/02/2024

Such a treat! Sitting out after dinner and these guys came along to play 🦭🦭🦭🫶🏻

24/02/2024

📍Denistoun Park 🐎

Farm life for a week n half. Mucking out stables, riding horses, learning to ride the quad bike, washing horses, feeding the spellers, patting every single horse in the stable, all 98 of them 🤦‍♂️ (Ruby), driving the tractor and grading the track, loading up hay, sweeping up and a bit of school work in amongst all that too! 🤣 Massive week of fun and learning. Kids had a blast!


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06/02/2024

5:30am start for Ruby this morning, helping grandad Jim feed the spellers. She loved it! 😃🤠🐎 Earnt a big 6 bucks! 🤑

05/02/2024

Art Class in session 🎨

03/02/2024

Pre-train ride home beverage 🍻

02/02/2024

Such a great morning especially for Ruby!! She has been busting at her britches for a horse ride for a little a while now and how very lucky and privileged we are to be staying at a horse farm,
📍Denistoun Park VIC. So this morning she rode. Her trusty stead is named Breitling (by Lonrho, very fast horse back in his hay day) and he was so calm and patient. Such a beautiful big old boy at 16 years old he was the perfect pony for Ruby’s first big ride! He happily paraded her around. He loved her pats, saddle cuddles and pats on the hind. Secretly Cookie frothed on being back so close to the horses. Washing and brushing Breitling down and walking him back to his stable! Must say I didn’t mind the view either ha 🤠😉😜 I said to Ruby on the walk back from taking him home, “How did you like your ride Ruby? You were very brave?” She says big smile and a bunch of flowers in her hand “I’m so happy!” 💜🌼

30/01/2024

Of course Roosta found a collectables place along the way 🙄🙈😆🃏 Literally a 2 minute ride from camp! Had to check it out of course… A whole lot of pretty special bits and pieces Roosta scored some Dragon Shield Sleeves for his next Pokémon deck. If you’re down the south coast and have a Pokémon addict like we do go check this place out! They opened up and let the kids in even though it was their daughters birthday 🥳
Much appreciated 🙏🏻 very happy lucky kids!

29/01/2024

Busy few days at the old teenage haunt, Umina! ☀️🌊🐚 We stayed at NRMA holiday park this time. Purely for convenience of my Dad and location. Absolutely crackers packed! Kids and big kids everywhere! Oscar and Ruby had an absolute ball! Ruby loving life riding on two wheels now and losing or rather Oscar helping her dangling tooth 🦷 out. She was so chuffed with herself finally kicking the training wheels! She says “Mum I think I’m so proud of myself!” 🥰🚴🏼‍♀️ so are we kiddo!
Arvo/evening beach swim was the best and I feel might become a bit of a daily thing when possible 🐊🦈 Umina beach is and has always been so good for swimming and surfing! Bit of drone action from Cookie and an Icecream as big our heads! Oscar went to a creatures and crawlers activity and frothed on this big yellow lizard!

23/01/2024

What a week! Not exactly the start I’d hoped for being struck down with the spicy cough 😷 but certainly worth the last 4 years of planning 📖, busting our arses 😓, crying 😭 and a few choice words @&@& spoken between us 🥴👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 but we’ve bloody made it and we are proud and stoked! 🥳 Took off a day early and nestled in for the night Haven Van park. Kids played all arvo 🛝 Few emotions running high for Oscar as the enormity of our year long trip hit home to him! He’s excited, scared, happy and sad, feeling all the feels! Secretly so are we mate! Ruby is just stoked she is on holidays full stop 😆
I was still pretty dusty so we kept pretty much to ourselves. Bike ride along the breakwall! Spotted a whole bunch of dolphins swimming in the inlet! Cookie and Oscar got up for the sunrise 🌅 and a bit of drone action, Oscar built a stone stack and watched a sail boat set off for the day ⛵️Near blew the f@&king car up on our way to Umina travelling and pulling the van in 40• heat nothing and no one was safe this day! It was a scorcher and we’ll never tow in the middle of the day again 🙈 pretty sure Cookie had 11 strokes and sprouted grey hair on his bald head but all good now and all learning and navigating our new way and we made it to Umina…
C💜

10/01/2024

11 Sleeps to go! 😴🚐🇦🇺🦘🐢🪰🐳

08/01/2024

08/01/2024

Fine tuning. 🚴🏻‍♂️Pushy racks on the front tool box.
Bitta DIY / Bush mechanics.
T-minus 13 days 🚀

08/01/2024

Auto Transmission Cooler Upgrade ✅
One step closer to the big lap 🔄🇦🇺

08/01/2024

Circa. 2024
Weight loss 😬 touchy subject…. But super important when towing 🚗 ! Whilst the trusty kings drawers served their purpose. Just way too heavy!!! 100kg, vs what can now fit in a 13kg 900mm drawer. With the benefit of hindsight, no brainer everytime!! Have dropped about 140kg in gear and the older drawers, simplified the set up and no long need a stool to see into the 👍

08/01/2024

RED ROCK 👌 such a cracking spot, fishing, camp grounds, bowls club… what more could you possibly want

08/01/2024

June 2023
Few more 📸 from

08/01/2024

🌅📸 2023

08/01/2024

June 2023
Corindi Beach exploring 😎