Tag: camping

Thnks Fr Th Mmrs

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It was a great weekend.

Even though Friday’s dinner was overpriced.

Even though we set an alarm for 6am on Saturday morning.

Even though Margaret River was absolutely freezing, and we were camping.

Even though I got scared of mountain biking again.

Even though we got lost riding to the pub and ended up riding through a pitch black forest.

Even though Andrew’s chain snapped during his race.

Even though I lost sight of them all two seconds into the race, got myself lost trying to find my way back to camp and took zero race photos.

Even though we were all exhausted.

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It was great because:

On Friday night we ended up sharing red wine and dark chocolate in bed, instead of paying for an overpiced dessert.

We had the best car rides, including ridiculous sing-alongs and deep conversations.

To stay warm we drank red wine, so many beers and ate great pub food.

The mountain bike trails were absolutely beautiful, covered in wildflowers and greenery.

We did laugh about the irony of trying to take a short cut into town and going on a cross country adventure.

Andrew fixed his chain in no time, and they all finished the race without injury, and with smiles on their faces.

I got an hour of bushwalking in, listening to my ipod and contemplating life.

I also got to drive home, and we had burgers and wine for dinner, while watching Archer.

Sometimes, it’s not about every moment being perfect. Sometimes, things don’t quite happen the way you plan. I think that it’s important let yourself get frustrated, or scared, or pissed-off because of what you feel afterwards. Embracing the tough times or the stupid mistakes helps you to appreciate the good things.

And I know one very good thing I’ve got going on in my life:

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Hanbel.
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Hitting the Frog and Toad

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Distance travelled: Approx. 3150km
Towns Visited: Carnarvon, Exmouth, Coral Bay, Monkey Mia, KalbarriIMG_0473Passengers: Just us two. (Andrew and myself, for those playing along at home)
Reason for us driving So. Damn. Far: For Andrew to swim with whale sharks, which he absolutely loved! As soon as I grab his Go-Pro I’ll post some underwater snaps.IMG_0464

The Pinnacles

Car snack of choice: Honey flavoured NutriGrain. As addictive as crack. Or so I imagine.
Road Trip tunes: Various Triple J ‘Hottest 100’s from ’93 onwards.

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Accommodation: 1 x overpriced motel, 5 nights camping, 2 nights hotel style
No. of car issues: 1 (the battery briefly carked it)

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Best meal: Dipping Andrew’s chips into my Vietnamese Chicken Curry, Kalbarri
Best bakery: CORAL BAY. My goodness.

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No. of breath-taking sunsets over the ocean: 2 (both in Coral Bay, go there right now!)

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IMG_5066Hikes: 3, all incredible. The first one was through a Gorge in Cape Range National Park. The others were in Kalbarri National Park, as well a sneaky visit to Nature’s Window

IMG_0478 IMG_0480Cape Range National Park

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Kalbarri National Park

No. of ridiculously touristy activities: Just the one, surprisingly.
Monkey Mia: Some Dolphins, a lot of tourists. Not recommended at all.
IMG_0491 IMG_0492Selfie sticks created: This gem:
IMG_5054No. of “Wolf Creek” towns passed through: 2. DO NOT GO TO THE FOLLOWING PLACES:
– Overlander
– Hamlin Bay
Unless you would like to get kidnapped/raped/murdered; then go right ahead! Send me a postcard.

Best Snorkeling: Turquoise Bay. One half is for “drifting”. So when you’re feeling incredibly lazy, just jump in the water and float while the scenery changes for you. Thank you strong currents!
Coral Bay was equally convenient. 50m from the Caravan Park is the Bay. Another 20m off the shore is all the snorkeling you need!

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No. of Quiz Nights: 1 in Exmouth. Goddam I love Quiz Nights! Especially when you have no idea they’re on and you team up with 1 x German girl and 1 x Chilean guy.
We didn’t win, but we learnt a lot, and had a good laugh!

No. of Whale Shark selfies: Countless

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Places to revisit: Coral Bay (if you haven’t already gathered how much I loved it there). It’s just a beautiful slice of heaven up there. Snorkeling at your doorstop, fantastic caravan parks, THE BAKERY, relaxed and friendly people. I’d go back in a heartbeat.
Kalbarri’s hiking was incredible though, we did went through gorges and one coastal walk, which didn’t even scratch the surface of what they have to offer. I’d love to return in warmer weather and check out their beaches and snorkeling too!

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Kalbarri National Park – Coastal Walk

In conclusion; we loved the trip, but would definitely do things differently the next time we go. Having never seen Northern WA before we wanted to check it all out, but that meant we were on the move. A lot.
The constant driving and setting up of the tent took a toll on us at times.
I’d also research a lot more. This trip snuck up on us, and therefore, we decided just go drive and ‘wing it’. It worked sometimes, but we also had a lot of downtime which made us a bit fidgety (we’re not used to relaxing!) and I think we probably missed out on some awesome things to do.
It also pays to have a 4WD (Andrew has a 2×4, so we managed a lot but couldn’t drive onto certain beaches or a whole National Park in Shark Bay).

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HOWEVER: Australia is seriously beautiful, and I’m so happy that we managed to see more of it.
Goddam, we are so lucky to call this breathtaking country home.

Hanbel.
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